


MIT: Magic Incorporating Technology

by Chef_Geekier



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-05
Updated: 2012-08-05
Packaged: 2017-11-11 11:51:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/478254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chef_Geekier/pseuds/Chef_Geekier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the final battle, Harry's magical core was almost exhausted. He decided to leave the magical world behind and instead go to college in America. He chose MIT, where he meets a redneck with an affinity for technology, who may turn out to be the love of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	MIT: Magic Incorporating Technology

Harry sighed as he finished packing his things together. Kreacher was sulking down in the kitchen, not wanting to admit that his master was leaving, and had refused to help pack. Sometimes, Harry wondered if he was doing the right thing by the House-elf.

For quite some time after Sirius' death, Kreacher had remained mentally unstable. It was only when Harry's own mental health improved that Kreacher's did, making Harry realise just how dependent on him the elf was. It seemed that it was true of all elves, that their level of sanity reflected that of their master. And as much as Harry hated to admit it, Sirius hadn't been exactly a paragon of mental stability, what with being wrongfully imprisoned for so much of his life.

When Harry had realised that his own health made Kreacher healthier, he started taking better care of himself, and allowed the elf to look after him as well. Now the elf was much better, even if he did have a habit of talking to himself and making comments that weren't always appropriate. Harry didn't want to leave him here by himself again, but he was leaving for America, and he didn't think that it would be a good idea to take Kreacher with him.

They had actually argued over that. In fact, they were still arguing over it. Kreacher seemed to think that a Muggle college would be a great place to live, while Harry maintained that it was too dangerous to have a Magical creature with him. After all, he may have ensured a single dorm room, but it was still in a dorm surrounded by Muggles.

Slowly, Harry made his way downstairs, running his hand gently along the banister as he did so. Between them, Harry, Ron and Hermione had made a lot of changes to Grimmauld Place, and it was no longer the dark and gloomy place it had been. They had added a lot of windows and extra lights, and even moved some of the walls to create different rooms. If not for the memories, Harry could have been quite happy living here.

But England held so many sad and difficult memories, that he couldn't take staying any longer. Especially since his magic had weakened so much.

In the final battle, he'd been hit with a lot of curses, and had used a lot of his own power. Afterwards he'd fallen unconscious, and didn't wake for a week. When he finally opened his eyes, it was to a greatly changed world.

He could still remember having trouble seeing, and attempting to summon his glasses. The spell hadn't worked. Hermione had explained that somehow, a combination of curses and magical exhaustion had depleted his magical core, to the extent that he had barely enough magic to still qualify as a wizard.

In one day, he'd gone from one of the most powerful wizards still alive, to weaker than a child.

Ron had ranted for hours about how unfair it was. Hermione had been determined to find a solution to restore his powers.

Harry had spotted a chance to be free.

Thinking about it, Harry smiled as he stepped into the kitchen. He'd known for some time that he didn't really belong in the wizarding world. He had a purpose, which he'd fulfilled, and now he could move on. If he'd remained powerful, who knew what the world would expect of him? But now, he could leave and reinvent himself somewhere else.

Oh sure, he would always have a connection to magic, and in time he may regain some of his abilities, but for now he could move on.

His first step had been to go to a Muggle community college to study for and take his A-levels. He'd discovered that he had an aptitude for technology, and biology interested him too. Actually, all branches of science fascinated him.

A lack of Dark Wizards did wonders for Harry's concentration levels, as did a real interest in what he was studying. He'd graduated with high enough scores to apply for any university he wanted. After discussions with Hermione, he'd chosen MIT in Boston.

Sitting at the table for his final meal in the house, Harry closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Kreacher had prepared his favourite, scrambled egges with bacon, cheese, carrot and capsicum mixed in. He opened his eyes and met the beseaching gaze of his House-elf.

Sighing, Harry realised that Hermione would probably kill him for this.

"Okay Kreacher. You can come too."

Harry chuckled to himself as Kreacher beamed at him, then clicked his fingers and summoned the small pack he'd already prepared.

"Kreacher is knowing Master Harry would understand! Master Harry cannot look after himsef, Master Harry needs his Kreacher to take care of him."

"Yeah," Harry nodded as he tucked into his dinner. "I think you're right."

-MIT-

As Harry had expected, Hermione hit the roof when he told her about his plans to bring Kreacher with him.

"Harry, how could you? You said you'd give him his freedom when you left! He's stable enough to survive on his own now. You don't really need a House-elf, you're going to be living in a dorm again!" She continued on in this vein for about five minutes, until Harry pointedly glanced at his watch. He had a plane to catch, after all.

"Look, he's served the Blacks all his life. Since I'm technically Lord Black now, he wants to keep serving me. But I promise that I'll pay him - I've been paying him so far after all. And I know that I'll be in a dorm - we've discussed it. Kreacher's going to help me look for a place to rent when we get there, and he can take care of that." Hermione opened her mouth to protest some more, but Harry talked over her. "I know, I know, but he'd be miserable if I left him now. I can't do that to him. Come on, I need to catch a plane."

"How's Kreacher getting there?" Ron asked, glaring lightly at the elf. He and Kreacher had never gotten along - it probably had something to do with the fact that Kreacher still called him 'the blood-traitor' in his muttered comments.

"Easy," Harry shrugged. "When I get to my dorm room, I'll call for him. He'll come to me."

With that, Harry picked up his pack and gave the house one final glance. He'd signed it over to Remus, knowing that there was no way the Werewolf would be able to afford a house of his own. Remus had tried to protest, but Harry had held firm, saying that this way he knew that the darker contents of the house wouldn't be used or accidentally activated. He'd also given another of the Black properties to Ron and Hermione as an engagement present - they'd announced their impending marriage shortly after he'd finished his exams.

In all, he'd inherited ten different properties from the Blacks and the Potters. The remaining eight, scattered around England, he had decided to rent out to give him some extra income while he studied. Not that he really needed it - after all, there was enough money that he would never have to work, if it weren't for the fact that he'd get bored sitting around with nothing to do. Still, it was nice to know that he was doing something to replace the money that was being spent.

Molly and Arthur Weasley met them at the Airport after he'd checked in, Molly trying to hold back tears and Arthur looking fascinated with the place. Harry smiled as his surrogate mother enveloped him in a hug, reluctant to let him go.

"Now Harry dear," Molly released him enough to look into his face. "You know that you can always come back, right? It doesn't matter if your power's depleted, you're always welcome."

"I know," Harry smiled. "And I'll make sure to visit during holidays. I want to leave the politics behind, not you."

"That's my boy," Molly hugged him again. Ron and Harry shared a grin. There were times when Molly really didn't seem to remember that Harry wasn't actually her son.

"Harry," Hermione interrupted the hug, "you're flight's being called. Time to go."

Harry nodded, and enveloped her in his arms when Molly released him.

"I'll keep in touch, I promise."

"You'd better."

With a sly grin, Harry went to shake Ron's hand - then jumped on him and gave him a hug as well.

"Argh! Gerroff, Harry!" Harry just laughed and clung tighter to his best friend. After a few seconds, he let go, knowing that he needed to hurry. "Flaming poofter," Ron muttered.

"Ron, I'm hurt!" Harry didn't look hurt, however. Ever since admitting that he was bisexual, Ron had taken to jokingly throwing sexual insults at him. That way, it didn't hurt so much when other people said it seriously.

"Ronald, don't talk to Harry like that." It didn't mean that Molly liked it, though.

Finally, Harry turned to Arthur, who surprised him by giving him a gentle hug as well.

"Take care of yourself, Harry. We'll miss you."

"I'll miss you guys too."

Quickly, Harry grabbed his backpack and went to the queue leading out of the gate. He gave his friends one final wave before stepping outside to begin his journey.

-MIT-

It was a tired and cranky Harry who arrived in Boston. He hadn't gotten much sleep, despite his first-class ticket. While he loved flying on a broom, he decided that he hated planes. If at all possible, he'd be avoiding them in the future.

Then he realised that his only other options to get back home were the Floo network or a ship, and decided that a plane was the lesser of three evils.

Thanks to a charm Hermione had cast on his trunk, Harry didn't have much trouble getting it onto a trolley and heading on out of the airport. His luck held out when he managed to get a cab, since he still had no idea how to drive. It had never been relevant before.

Time passed, and eventually Harry managed to make his way to the MIT student dormitories, find his RA, find his room, and start unpacking. However, it was getting late, so instead he gave in and decided to call for Kreacher.

"Kreacher! Come to me."

A few seconds later, there was a soft 'pop', and Kreacher appeared. After startling Harry with loud apparition once too often and getting a singed ear, Kreacher had figured out how to muffle sound when he appeared and disappeared.

"Master Harry is calling for Kreacher! Kreacher is happy to be brought to Master Harry's new residence."

"Yeah, good to see you too," Harry muttered. The elf gave him a shrewd look, then nodded.

"Master Harry is needing his sleepies," Kreacher stated as he snapped his fingers. The small bed was instantly ready and warmed, and Harry slipped in gratefully after stripping.

"Kreacher, you're an angel." Harry closed his eyes and smiled at the elf's laughter.

"Kreacher is making room better for Master Harry. Master Harry is not to worry about anything. Kreacher is taking care of it all."

-MIT-

When Harry drifted awake, he could smell a cooked breakfast and coffee waiting for him. He opened his eyes and looked around, blinked, then looked again. Kreacher certainly hadn't been joking last night.

Somehow, the elf had managed to enlarge the space inside the room slightly. It wasn't enough to draw attention from any Muggles who entered, but it was noticeable to the wizard.

Against one wall, next to the door, was a desk he recognised from the Black library. On it was a gas-lamp, and in front of it was his favourite chair from the study at Grimmauld Place. On the other side of the door was a large bookshelf, one shelf filled with his textbooks from back in London and his new books for his course here. The other shelves were filled with his favourite books from back home.

Opposite the door was the wall his bed was against. He hadn't noticed, but there was a window right next to his head. If he wanted, he could open the curtain and window and feel the night breeze as he slept. Knowing a little about London's pollution level, he didn't feel like chancing it until he knew more about the air here.

At the foot of his bed was his trunk, closed. He guessed that either it was empty, or his more magical items were being kept inside. Behind him, against the wall at the head of his bed, was a wardrobe he was certain that he'd seen somewhere at Grimmauld Place.

In the space between his trunk and desk, a small social-area had been set up. There was a two-seat sofa and an armchair, with a low coffee table. It was on this that his breakfast had been placed.

Harry slowly got out of bed, confused as to how all of the furniture had gotten here. He was sure that last night, it had just been the standard, sparse dorm furnishings that he'd seen in a brochure. Then a note next to his breakfast caught his eye, and Harry smiled as he slipped his glasses on and read it.

Cub-

Kreacher appeared back here, muttering about how unsuitable the dorm was. I agreed to let him take some furniture from here for you. Don't even think about sending it back, or I'll come over there and bite you.

Study hard, and don't forget to call.

-Moony

Harry let out a laugh, before making a start on his food. Kreacher certainly hadn't lost his touch, and soon after Harry decided that he felt fortified enough to go exploring. Classes wouldn't start for another couple of days, but it wouldn't hurt to know his way around. Maybe even introduce himself to some of the other students.

Nodding firmly, Harry opened the door to the wardrobe, only for his jaw to drop. Kreacher had, again, enlarged the space inside so that his entire clothing collection fit. Not that he had that many clothes to begin with, but when Hermione had heard that he was going to be living in the Muggle world, she'd insisted on taking him shopping and getting plenty of new clothes. Harry was certain that he'd left most of them behind when packing, but figured that again, Kreacher had made a trip home for his things.

Harry quickly pulled on what he hoped was a normal outfit - jeans, a tight black t-shirt and a loose emerald-green button-down over the top, with white sneakers. He then got out the items which he always carried when he went out, items that everyone thought had been destroyed.

There was a ring with a large stone, which was on a chain so he could hang it around his neck.

There was what looked like a flick-knife, which he slid into his sock so that it rested against his skin.

And there was a coat, made of a light-weight, shimmery material that seemed to change colour as it was looked at. It had a hood which was currently down, and the ends brushed the ground.

Harry breathed out a sigh of comfort as he secured the Deathly Hallows about himself. Since he had all three, they followed his commands now. The Elder Wand looked, to everyone else, like a flick-knife, and it stayed where he put it. As long as he held it or at least let it touch his skin for six hours or so every day, it seemed content to do as he wished. The Stone, he refused to use. But again, as long as it was with the other three Hallows, it didn't bring him trouble.

It was the Invisibility Cloak that he was most proud of. Once it understood that he wished to keep it with him, but not stay invisible, it had transformed itself into a coat. As long as he didn't raise the hood, it seemed like a perfectly normal coat. When the hood was around his face, however, he became completely invisible. Now, he wouldn't wear any other coat, and in fact wore the Cloak whenever he went out.

Harry was determined that, until he could find a way to destroy the Hallows, no one else would gain control of them. He didn't like being Master Over Death, but he was certain that if anyone else held the position, it would bring disaster.

Grabbing his keys and wallet, Harry headed out of his dorm and into the scary world of college, alone for the first time since starting Hogwarts.

-MIT-

The first thing Harry did upon leaving his room was to look around and see if any of the other doors were open. There didn't seem to be any real sign of life, so he headed downstairs. He saw a few people wandering around, but they were all in pairs or small groups. Having always had Ron or Hermione with him at Hogwarts, Harry wasn't very good at making new friends.

He'd had a tentative friendship with a few people in his courses back in London, but given how secretive he was about his past, most couldn't be bothered sticking around. They figured that getting close to him was just too much bother.

After a while, he found the student lounge on the ground floor. It was a lot like the Gryffindor Common Room, without the loud colour scheme. There were chairs and sofas scattered around the room, with a TV in one corner. It was currently playing some news program.

There were some students sitting around, but not many. Harry figured that these were the early arrivals, and that more people would show up over the coming week. Classes started next Monday, after all.

On one wall, Harry spied a map of the campus, and wandered over to investigate. It looked fairly simple to him - then again, he'd learned to navigate Hogwarts. After that, anything appeared simple.

As he was looking around for a store where he could buy a computer, he felt someone come up behind him. His muscles all tensed, and Harry forced himself to not turn around and attack whoever it was. Despite three years of peace, his instincts still got him into trouble sometimes.

"You're new here, aren't you?" The person spoke with a deep, cultured voice, and Harry felt a spark of interest. He turned and surveyed the other man, noting that he was rather handsome. Taller than Harry, but that wasn't uncommon, with light blonde hair in a sensible cut. He was a little more muscular than Harry usually went for, but he was well-dressed, which was a plus.

"Just arrived last night," Harry nodded. The man's blue eyes widened slightly at his accent, and he smiled as he held out a hand. "Harry Potter."

"Jerry Grant," his new acquaintance accepted the hand and shook it firmly. "What brings you all the way here for your studies?"

"My friend recommended it," Harry shrugged. "I love the sciences, and Hermione said that MIT is one of the best schools for computing and technology. I figured that it would be worth relocating for that sort of reputation."

"I'm glad you did," Jerry smiled, and Harry felt his heart speed up a little. The man was gorgeous!

The mood was broken when a scrunched-up piece of paper hit Jerry in the side of the head, and he scowled over his shoulder.

"Ash."

"Hey, Jerry. I fixed your rig, you want it now?"

Harry couldn't help but stare at the new arrival. He looked like a stereotypical red-neck, with the drawl to match. He also seemed rather spaced out, as though he were on something illegal.

"No Ash," Jerry gave him a withering look. "I want you to keep my computer for the next month or so. Not like I need it for my studies or anything."

Despite the heavy sarcasm, Ash just grinned and shrugged.

"Okay dude, I'll dump it outside your room. Catch ya 'round." With that he wandered off in the direction of the stairs.

Jerry gave a sniff of disapproval, then turned back to Harry, smiling slightly again.

"Sorry about that. Ash is... special. He's here on a scholarship, since he's the first person in his family to qualify for college. Even if it was only barely. Trust me, you're better off not associating with him, he'll just drag your grades down."

"Okay," Harry nodded, though something in the back of his mind didn't sit right. He firmly ignored it however. There was a gorgeous man in front of him, and he seemed interested. The odd Ash could wait for another time.

-MIT-

Harry spent most of the day with Jerry. The older man was nice and funny, and Harry was sure that he was interested in pursuing something. True, he was about to start his third year of college, but Harry didn't think that really mattered. Not when he was happy to show Harry around the campus and tell him the best places to go, and the places to avoid. Also to explain the weird way the lecture halls, tutorial rooms and laboratories were labelled.

The next day Harry spent the morning setting up his computer. He was rather proud of his baby, which he'd named Moony. His reasoning was that most of the time it was a wonderful machine which helped him with his studies and was able to play games with the best of them, but every now and then it would turn into a monster and eat his files. Granted, he thought that was more a problem wit Microsoft that the computer, but the name had stuck. His notebook he'd called Padfoot, since it was forever wandering around, often getting lost or into trouble - and it housed his porn collection.

Once the computer was set up, he sent an email to Hermione letting her know how he was going. He'd set up a computer with internet access in her new home before he'd gone, to make sure that they had a way to keep in touch. After all, with the time differences and the odd hours they both kept, there was little chance of a phone call getting through, and fireplaces weren't exactly common in America.

As noon approached, Harry decided that it was high time he ate. He grabbed his Hallows, wallet and keys and left the room, planning on visiting the coffee-shop Jerry had pointed out the day before. It had looked like a nice place.

As he was finishing up his cake and coffee - he still subsisted mostly on sugar when he could get away with it - he spotted Jerry walking past the window, and smiled at him. Jerry grinned back and tilted his head toward the exit, clearly wanting to talk to him. He quickly downed the rest of his drink and returned the crockery to the counter before heading outside.

"Hey Harry," Jerry smiled down at him. "How you settling in?"

"Fine," Harry grinned back. "Got my room all sorted, and my computer set up. I missed having him around."

"Him?" Jerry quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Harry muttered, blushing a little. "I gave my computer a personality."

"Heh," Jerry chuckled. "Cute. Wanna show me this computer of yours?"

Harry wasn't sure if it was the chuckle or the desire in Jerry's eyes, but he decided that he really wanted this man. And Harry wasn't exactly known for his subtlety when it came to the things he wanted. He nodded and turned to lead the way to his room.

-MIT-

On the way through the lounge, Harry noticed Ash sitting against a wall and fiddling with a notebook. The older man looked up and frowned upon seeing Harry and Jerry, but didn't say anything. Harry shrugged and didn't think about it. Ash was apparently just weird, and he had other things to think about.

Harry'd had sex before, but only the once, with Ginny, before figuring out that they really didn't work together. It had left them both feeling awkward. Although he'd kissed and made out with a few guys back in England, he hadn't actually gone all the way with any of them, and he'd had enough with the waiting. He'd denied his libido as a teenager, and now it was back with a vengeance.

When they reached his room, Jerry waited until the door was closed before taking Harry's face in his hands and kissing him, gently but with clear intent. He became steadily more forceful as Harry responded eagerly, running his hands up and down Jerry's back. He let out a moan as Jerry lowered his hands, grabbing his arse and grinding their hips together.

Jerry took the opportunity to invade Harry's mouth, asserting his dominance with his tongue while he kneaded the smaller man's behind. Harry used one hand to grip Jerry's shoulder in an effort to keep his balance, and wound the other around his waist as he tried to get closer. After a moment, he started to shrug out of his coat, knowing that he wouldn't have much need for it for the rest of the afternoon.

The older man smirked when he release Harry's mouth long enough to rid them both of their shirts. He then lowered his head to nibble at Harry's neck as he slid his hands into Harry's jeans to resume their hold on his arse, this time without the barrier of clothes. Harry let out a groan of frustration, wanting to quit with the teasing and get to the good part already.

"Jerry..." He moaned as he felt a finger brush against his entrance.

"Hmm?" The blonde murmured, slowly grinding their erections together. It took a moment after that for Harry to remember what he wanted to say.

"Pants. Off. Now." He managed to bite out as he reached for Jerry's belt.

"Hmm. Pushy," Jerry pulled him closer, making it impossible to get his pants undone, and rubbed against his entrance more firmly. "Don't know if I want to obey."

"Please!" Harry whimpered, and Jerry let out a dark chuckle.

"That's better." He removed his hands and stepped back, and Harry blinked at the sudden loss of contact, before he remembered why as Jerry slowly undid Harry's fly. "Take off your shoes."

Harry complied as Jerry did the same, then yanked Harry's jeans down. Harry kicked them off, then was struck with a wave of embarassment as he realised that he was the only one naked, that Jerry could see all of his physical scars - and there were quite a few of those.

It quickly faded when Jerry spun him around and pulled him back against his chest, grinding his cloth-covered erection against Harry's bare arse, making the smaller man groan again.

"Yessss..." He hissed, only just having enough control to keep it to English. His Parseltongue abilities had returned a few months ago, and he figured that one thing that could ruin the mood was him suddenly speaking a strange language.

"Lube?" Jerry whispered into his ear, and Harry whimpered again before reaching for his desk drawer. He fumbled about a bit before finding what he'd been looking for, and handed the tube and a small packet to Jerry.

"Hmm. Planning on this, Harry?" Jerry ground his hips into him again. "Is there a boyfriend I need to be worried about?"

"No," Harry gasped as he felt his nipple get a harsh tweak. "Just... easier to take a condom off a toy than to clean the toy." He was blushing again, then closed his eyes as he felt a laugh rumble through Jerry's chest, still pressed flush against his back.

"You might have to demonstrate that for me later," Jerry whispered against his neck before biting down hard. Harry arched his back, knowing that he'd have a mark later. "On your knees."

Harry quickly fell to the ground and heard Jerry kneel more slowly behind him. He was thankful to Kreacher for making the carpet softer than normal, otherwise his knees would be bruised later too. Then all thoughts flew from his head as Jerry pressed a lube-slicked finger into him.

"Ah!" Harry couldn't help the cry that escaped him. It burned a little, though not as much as it would if Harry hadn't played with his toys the night before. Jerry started moving the finger in and out, and Harry soon felt the burn leave. Before it was gone completely, Jerry added another finger, and Harry squirmed in a little discomfort.

Jerry seemed to notice and leaned forward to press kisses against his spine, before continuing to stretch Harry. Sooner than he'd have liked, another finger was added, and Harry whimpered.

"Jerry, slow down," he whispered. "Hurts."

"Sorry Baby," Jerry slowed his movements, though he kept going. "I'm impatient. I'll go slower, I promise."

Harry nodded, and forced himself to relax. He could feel the fingers scissoring inside him, searching for something. His back arched when they found it.

"Oh fuck yes!" Harry cried out, then panted as Jerry continued to brush against his prostate while stretching him. He risked a glance over his shoulder, to see that Jerry wore a smug grin. The older man met his eyes, then leaned forward to capture his lips while still preparing him. Harry moaned into the kiss, desperate for more. Then Jerry's mouth and fingers were both gone, and Harry sighed at the loss. He closed his eyes and hung his head, shivering in anticipation as he heard Jerry lower the zip on his jeans and tear open the condom wrapper.

Soon enough, he felt Jerry pressing into him again, and sighed in contentment. True to his word, Jerry was going slowly, almost agonisingly slowly. Harry felt like he was going to go insane before he was completely filled. Eventually, he felt Jerry come to a halt, then immediately start withdrawing, again at that maddening pace.

Harry started to thrust back, needing more friction, but Jerry grabbed his hips to still him.

"Jerry..."

"You said slow, remember?" Jerry's voice was almost mocking as he continued to thrust at a snail's pace. "I'm doing what you asked."

Harry writhed as much as he could, which wasn't much. He was still smaller and physically weaker than most men his age, and Jerry was older and bigger.

"Need more," Harry whispered, suddenly feeling a little ashamed. How was Jerry meant to know what he wanted, when he couldn't make himself clear? "Need you."

"If you insist," Jerry muttered, before pulling out and slamming back in.

"Ah! Yes!" Harry cried out in surprise and arousal. There was some pain, yes, but it was negligible.

Jerry continued at the faster pace, using his strength to move Harry as well. The smaller man moaned and whimpered, finding it to be better than he'd imagined. Certainly better than his toys.

Before long, Jerry buried himself one last time and came with a growl. Harry let out a whine at the loss of friction, since he was still hard and aching. Despite his change of pace, Jerry had only rarely managed to hit his prostate once inside him, and he hadn't given Harry's cock any attention.

Harry looked around as Jerry pulled out, desperate for completion, only to find the man leaning back against his bed. He hadn't noticed before, but Jerry hadn't taken his jeans off completely, only undone them enough to get his dick out. He looked up at Jerry with pleading eyes, and the man just grinned as he half-closed his eyes.

"You mentioned something about toys?" Harry nodded slowly. "Well then, give me a show. I wanna watch you."

-MIT-

To: Hermione  
From: Harry  
Subject: Sweet Merlin!

Hermione,

Oh sweet Merlin sex is fantastic! Why did I never shag a guy back home?

Jerry's wonderful. He's stayed here for the last three nights. I haven't met any of his friends yet, apparently they're not going to get here until this weekend. So until then, I have him all to myself!

How are the wedding plans going? Decided on a date yet?

Harry

-MIT-

To: Harry  
From: Hermione  
Subject: Pix or didn't happen

Harry,

Before I believe that you've had gay sex (finally!), I require photographic evidence. Please videotape it.

Send a copy for Ginny, too. Actually, send several - we could make a killing! Saviour-Porn!

Sorry, think I was channeling Ron for a minute there. Anyway, plans are going... well, they're going. It's tricky, trying to adjust to the magical way of doing things. See, we can't have both Ron and my extended families, since there's the whole Statute of Secrecy. We're probably just going to have immediate family and a few close friends.

By the way, you're being my maid of honour, right?

Hermione

-MIT-

Harry laughed at Hermione's email. He wasn't going to oblige her - with either request - but it was good to hear from her. It helped to ease the niggling doubts he was having.

Jerry had been visiting every night, and while he did enjoy the sex, he had the feeling that it could have been better. Jerry still tended to rush through the foreplay, and had never actually touched Harry's cock. It was allways up to Harry to... finish himself off, as it were.

Then there was the fact that they didn't do anything other than have sex. Since the first day they'd met, they hadn't spent any time together outside of Harry's room.

Harry sighed to himself as eh shut down his computer, thinking that he'd send a message back later. Jerry would be arriving soon, and he'd want all of Harry's attention.

-MIT-

Time passed.

It was about six weeks into the semester, and Harry was lying on his bed, waiting for Jerry. He was late, again. Harry was trying to work up the courage to break things off with the older man, without much luck. Every time he'd thought about it, he just ended up talking himself out of it, thinking that if he waited a few more days Jerry would become a better boyfriend.

He heard the knock on his door, and sighed as he got up to answer it. The truth was, he still liked the sex. Even if it was a little on the rough side, and he'd never gotten to top. He wanted to try new things, but he liked the way Jerry made him feel when they were together. It was when they were apart that there was a problem.

Harry opened the door for Jerry and started to say something, but was cut off by Jerry's mouth on his. He whimpered a little as a warm tongue invaded, and a pair of hands started massaging his arse, and damnit! He was getting hard. Jerry broke the kiss to whisper into his ear.

"Suck me, Baby. I've been waiting for you all day."

Harry nodded and dropped to his knees, determinedly not thinking that he should have gotten here earlier then.

-MIT-

The next day, Harry was still limping a little when he made his way back to the dorm after his final lecture of the day. Jerry had been rougher than usual last night, fucking Harry over his desk, as though determined that Harry should feel it for a while. He also had several bite marks on his neck and shoulders, though he managed to keep them covered so people wouldn't comment.

Not that they would, anyway. He hadn't made any friends since his arrival, since he was by nature a fairly solitary person, and his secrets only made it worse. Harry was beginning to think that he'd never really belong in the Muggle world either, because he knew about the other world.

Sighing, Harry pushed open the door to the Student Lounge, then stopped in confusion. There seemed to be a celebration of some kind going on. There was a big "Congratulations!" banner on one wall, and food and drink were on a table underneath. Harry looked around for someone he recognised and saw Ash, the odd guy Jerry had pointed out. He still wasn't sure about the guy, so continued looking.

Leaning against one wall, watching the proceedings with a weary eye, was Julie the RA. Harry figured that she'd know what the party was about.

"Hey Julie," he started, winning a smile. The girls here all seemed to love his accent.

"Hey Harry. Didn't think we'd see you here, you're not much of a socialite."

"Just came in from my lecture. What's the party for?"

Julie raised an eyebrow, then scanned the room for a moment as though looking for someone. She then nodded towards Jerry, who was standing next to a pretty redheaded girl.

"You know Jerry Grant?" Harry smiled, then froze at Julie's next words. "He proposed to Casey last night. They've been together since they were sixteen, even though she doesn't believe in sex before marriage. Apparently it was really romantic, he proposed over a candle-lit dinner."

Harry felt as though someone had sucker-punched him right in the gut. Jerry was getting married, to a girl he'd been with for years. Harry had been the 'other woman'.

Then the timing hit him, and he started to shake. Jerry had proposed to his girlfriend over dinner, then gone to Harry and screwed him.

Maybe... maybe he was just in the closet? Harry desperately tried to rationalise everything, thinking that maybe Jerry was just afraid of people finding out that he was gay. Maybe he was just keeping up appearances by having a fiance.

Then Harry managed to catch Jerry's eye, and he figured the man would look away, embarassed.

He hadn't counted on Jerry smirking at him.

No, it wasn't a mask. Jerry had just been using him as a convenient fuck, since his girlfriend wasn't sleeping with him.

Suddenly Harry felt a rush of anger, and something else. Something that he hadn't felt in a long time.

Girls screamed as all of the light bulbs in the room burst at the same time. Harry turned and walked away, up the stairs to his room, leaving the party to its confusion. When he reached his room, he locked his door, stripped, and climbed into bed. He didn't intend on coming out any time soon.

Good thing it was Friday, and he didn't have classes until Monday afternoon. Maybe he'd come out by then.

-MIT-

Harry woke to the feeling of someone running a hand through his hair. He sighed in contentment, before he remembered why it was he was sulking in bed. His eyes flew open, half-dreading, half-hoping it was Jerry.

It was better.

Remus sat on the edge of the bed, stroking Harry's hair gently, and looking at him with a tenderness he reserved only for his cub. Harry whimpered and threw himself at his honorary godfather, who caught him and held him.

"It's okay, cub. It's going to get better. I promise."

Harry couldn't help but believe him. Remus always kept his promises, and he had a way of making things better. Plus, he was one of the few adults who always seemed to have Harry's best interest at heart, even though plenty claimed to.

Afte a few minutes, Harry felt brave enough to lean back and look Remus in the eye.

"Remus, not that I'm not grateful, but how did you know I needed you?"

"Kreacher," Remus shrugged. "He came and got me. Said, and I quote, 'the blonde tramp is breaking Master Harry's heart. Filthy wolf needs to fix it.' I gather he was asking me to come help you."

Harry flushed at Kreacher's name for Remus, but the werewolf just shrugged it off, as he always did.

"So, want to tell me about it? I take it he was talking about Jerry, your boyfriend."

Harry nodded, and soon had told Remus everything. The older man rubbed Harry's arm as he was talking, but by the end, Harry was sitting on Remus' lap, being held like a young child. Remus had pulled him there partway through in an effort to stop himself from going and ripping Jerry's throat out. He'd started growling softly when Harry mentioned not being gentle with him, and it had just gotten worse from then on in.

When Harry had finished, and laid his head on Remus' shoulder to soak up the comfort, Remus took a deep breath. He had to be calm and mature about this. Blast it.

"Cub, I know it doesn't seem like it, but things will get better. I know it hurts like hell right now. But just think - the next guy can only be an improvement. He'll be someone who takes care of you, who wants to be seen in public with you. Someone who'll be yours, and claim you as his. Someone who can keep up with the crazy leaps your mind makes, and who can understand your magical side."

"You think so?" Harry whispered. Remus was describing his perfect man, someone that Harry wasn't sure even existed.

"I know so. Think of Jerry as... a stepping stone," Remus nodded. "Don't shut yourself off, let someone else in, and it'll all be okay. Maybe not straight away, but eventually. Although next time," here he gave Harry a pointed look, "don't screw him until you're certain that he's good for you."

Harry looked down at his fingers. Yeah, he'd screwed up with Jerry, right from the first day. But Remus was right - if he could think of it as a learning experience, he could move on. He snuggled closer into Remus, who chuckled and held him. Sometimes being both mother and father to Harry could be exhausting, but it was all worth it in the end.

They stayed like that for a while, until Kreacher popped into the room, carrying a tray with Harry's favourite sweets on it and muttering under his breath.

"Stupid blonde bastard is getting what he deserves, oh yes. Kreacher will be teaching blonde bastard not to mess with Master Harry."

Harry and Remus looked at each other, shocked by Kreacher's language.

"Harry..."

"Yeah?"

"You taught a House-elf to swear." Remus looked a little shell-shocked, and Harry gave his best unsure-but-game smile. "Sirius would be so proud of you."

Harry burst out laughing, and it lifted Remus' spirits. If his cub could laugh already, it boded very well. Then he recalled the other part of Kreacher's statement, and gave the elf a pointed stare.

"What did you do to Jerry, Kreacher?"

"Kreacher is not answering filthy wolf. Filthy wolf will be making Kreacher take it back."

"Kreacher..." Harry said warningly.

The elf looked at his feet, hands behind his back, looking like a reluctant school-girl, and Harry couldn't help but smile.

"Blonde bastard is using Master Harry for sex. Kreacher is taking away blonde bastard's... pointiness."

Harry took a moment to translate in his head, then stared at Kreacher in shock.

"You made him impotent?"

Kreacher gave Harry an evil grin.

"Blonde bastard can get pointy if Master Harry wishes. Whenever Master Harry wishes. Even if Master Harry is wishing for it when blonde bastard is in important meetings. Or in lockers after sporting things. If Master Harry is not wishing it, then blonde bastard is staying floppy."

Remus and Harry looked at each other, then burst out laughing again. It was a brilliant punishment.

-MIT-

Despite Kreacher's fears, Remus hadn't made him take the curse off. The werewolf's Marauder side had kicked in with a vengeance, and he even encouraged Harry to have fun with his new gift.

Once Remus had left, satisfied that Harry wasn't going to sulk for long, Harry decided to get on with his college work. He was actually enjoying it a lot, even if Biotechnology hadn't been his first choice. Harry was curious by nature, and enjoyed the experiments into how things worked. He'd managed to take computing as a minor subject, and was looking forward to the course in advanced programing next semester.

In all, things were starting to look up again, and Harry was determined not to let Jerry drag him back down.

-MIT-

More time passed.

The next semester came, and Harry was excited about his programming course. He'd learned a lot about putting a computer together, now it was time to learn how to create his own programs.

He sat in the computer lab, waiting for the class to begin. He recognised a few people from his other classes, and smiled hesitantly. Most smiled back, and Harry thought that maybe this 'friendly' thing wasn't so hard.

Then a familiar face came in, and Harry's eyes widened in surprise. What was Ash doing here? He was in his third year, why was he in this class? Then he started to speak, and Harry was even more confused.

"Hey guys. I'm Ash, but you can call me Dr Badass. I'll be taking the tutorials. I might sound like I'm stoned, and chances are pretty good that I will be outside of class, but I can work my way around a computer passed out. Any questions?" No one raised a hand. "Good. The excercises are in your lesson schedules. Get to it. If you need help, holler for me."

With that, Ash sat down at one of the spare computers and got to work on something of his own.

Throughout the lesson, Harry kept stealing glances at the odd man. When looking at a computer screen, it was as if a switch was flipped, and he came alive. His fingers were moving faster than Harry thought possible, and he obviously knew what he was doing.

Harry started to wonder if maybe Jerry had been completely wrong about Ash.

Then he realised what he was thinking, and scoffed. Of course Jerry had been wrong - had probably lied on purpose. It had been obvious that first day that Jerry and Ash didn't like each other, and Jerry had probably just wanted to make sure that Harry didn't talk to the other man.

Harry glanced at Ash again, then blushed and turned back to his own screen when he realised Ash was looking back at him.

He didn't see it, but a slow grin worked its way across Ash's face.

-MIT-

A few weeks later, Harry was at the local computer supply store. He'd become something of a regular customer there, always buying the latest and best parts for his computers. He could certainly afford to. While Jack was with another customer, Harry took his time looking at the external hard drives, thinking that he should probably get one to use as a backup.

He looked up at the sound of a chuckle, only to meet Ash's gaze.

"Heya Harry. Knew you'd know your way around a computer store."

"Hi," Harry smiled shyly. Now that he was actually standing close to Ash, he found himself relaxing a little. The guy had an aura of friendliness, like he didn't have a care in the world. It was calming, and Harry didn't have a lot of calm in his life.

"Y'know, I think you're the only one in the programming class who hasn't come bleating for help over something stupid," Ash commented, turning his gaze back to the products. "Actually, you haven't come bleating for help over anything. Is it me?" He had a grin on his face, as if to say that the answer didn't really matter. Harry had the feeling it did though.

"No," he shook his head emphatically. "It's just... I understand what to do. I love computers, and it doesn't take me long to work out how to get them to cooperate with me."

"Great," Ash turned the grin on him, and Harry smiled back. He actually seemed like a nice guy. "So, you here for anything in particular?"

"Not really," Harry shrugged. "Just thinking that I should really back up my computers to an external drive. I'd go nuts if I lost all of my work."

Ash nodded in understanding, and the two spend some time talking about the various drives and which would be best. Before he knew it, it was time for Harry to leave for his afternoon lecture, and he apologised to Ash. The man just smiled again and shrugged it off.

"Classes take precedent. I know. Hey Harry?" He asked as Harry was about to leave.

"Yeah?"

"You can just call me over to talk during the tutorials. Save me from listening to the useless sheeple."

Harry ducked his head and smiled. It looked like he'd made a friend, for the first time since Hogwarts. He just hoped that Ash wouldn't freak out when he eventually came clean about magic.

Given his attitude so far, though, Harry doubted that Ash would freak out over anything. Except, maybe, a computer blowing up.

-MIT-

In his next computing tutorial, Harry paid a bit more attention to what was happening around him. He noticed that indeed, a lot of the problems that Ash was asked about were very basic. There were a lot of things that should have been covered in the previous semester's basic programming course. He had to wonder how many had actually attended that one.

After a while, Harry tried to run the excercise he'd been working on, only to find that it wouldn't compile properly. Frowning, he ran an eye over the code and tried again, getting the same result. He let out a small growl, then sat back and looked around for Ash.

Ash was finishing up with a girl who looked to be just out of high school. He caught Harry's eye and nodded, signalling that he'd be over in a minute. Harry nodded back and turned back to glare at the computer screen. Shortly, Ash pulled out the seat next to him and sat, grinning again.

"So, what'd she do to deserve that glare?" Ash drawled as he turned the screen to see better.

"Ah, probably something I did," Harry shrugged. "She's not compiling properly."

"Hmm." Ash murmurred as he ran his eye over the code. After a few seconds he smiled in victory. "There. You forgot one of the end brackets here."

Harry looked from the screen to Ash and back again, then thumped his head down onto the desk. Ash started laughing, and Harry looked up, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Well I sure feel stupid. Thanks for that." Harry liked the sound of Ash's laughter. It seemed to invite people to join in.

"Hey, happens to us all at some point," Ash reached out a hand and put it on the back of Harry's neck, scritching at the skin with his fingers in comfort.

Harry... melted. He closed his eyes and smiled in bliss, and even let out a pur of happiness. Ash laughed softly again, getting Harry's attention.

"You should see what else I can do with my hands," Ash winked, making Harry blush.

"Um, I..." Harry really wanted to take Ash up on the offer, but he kept hearing Remus' voice in his head, telling him to take things slower. Ash seemed to sense his hesitance and kept up with the neck-skritching as he spoke.

"Wanna go for dinner on Friday? I know a cool place not far from here. Pretty swanky, but the food's good."

"Hmmm..." Harry hummed and closed his eyes again. An actual date? That was something new. Something he hadn't actually done before. "Sounds great."

-MIT-

When Friday came, Harry dressed as nicely as he could, ignoring Kreacher's suggestions. The elf may have been a great cook, but his fashion sense was still stuck in the Wizarding trends of the eighties. He had black dress pants with an emerald green shirt and black shoes, simple but nice enough to be able to fit in at any high-class restaurant. And naturally, to top it off was his Cloak/coat, which had for now settled on a silvery colour with a slight green sheen to it.

He stood just inside the dorm house's front door, leaning against the wall, waiting for Ash. Harry remembered feeling this nervous right before the horrendous Yule Ball back in fourth year, and hated it. He really wished that he was better in social situations.

Soon, Ash showed up, and Harry nearly started drooling immediately. Ash was dressed in a nice suit, looking sleek and well-groomed. He ran his eyes up and down Harry's body, and smiled in appreciation as he held out his hand.

"Shall we?" He asked, and Harry nodded as he stepped forward. Ash wrapped his arm around his younger companion as they headed outside to his car. Harry started to relax again, feeling Ash's calming presence wash over him.

-MIT-

Harry was again surprised at the restaurant. It was far more elaborate and fancy than anywhere he'd eaten before, with a proper maitre d' and everything. He had to admit that he was actually a little intimidated, especially when Ash seemed to have no trouble in the setting.

As they ate, Harry started to relax again. Ash really was good at getting him to loosen up, keeping up a steady stream of chatter about all manner of things. And whenever Harry started to close off about a particular subject, Ash managed to skillfully manuevre the conversation to something else without breaking the flow. Harry didn't think that he'd ever been so comfortable just sitting and talking to someone. Especially someone whom he really liked.

The evening was going well, so naturally, something had to go wrong. Harry looked up as a waiter went past, and his eyes fell on a table not far away, where he recognised the diners. He immediately looked down at his food and seemed to shrink in on himself.

Ash blinked in surprise at the sudden change in Harry's posture, and looked around to see what could have caused it. A few tables away he spotted Jerry and Casey, and narrowed his eyes. Ash knew that something had been going on between Jerry and Harry, and it had ended badly. He wasn't an idiot, and he knew how Jerry worked. He'd slept his way through half of the men in their year, reasoning that since it was sex with a guy it wasn't cheating on his girlfriend, and since he never actually touched another man's cock, he wasn't gay. It was a bullshit excuse, and Ash had seen several guys hurt by it. None of them had ever listened to Ash's warnings though, so he'd eventually given up trying to interfere.

This time, though, he'd love nothing more than to jump on the arsehole and pummel him into the ground for hurting Harry. He knew that it was going to take a lot of time and affection before Harry was willing to let someone get that close to him again - but Ash was pretty sure it was going to be worth the wait.

He turned back to Harry and leaned forward, tilting his chin up with a couple of fingers.

"Hey, Harry. Jerry's a complete and utter shit. Don't pay any attention to him."

Harry offered him a weak smile. He'd thought that he was over the other man, but seeing him here, on his first proper date, had brought back all the pain. It felt like a bad omen for this relationship.

Then Harry had a very cruel idea, and his smile grew a little stronger. He nodded and turned his full attention back to Ash, determined that Jerry wasn't going to ruin the night for him.

-MIT-

The rest of the night went smoothly, and Harry was again a little nervous on the way home. He wasn't sure what Ash would expect of him now, or what he was ready to do. When they got into the dorm's lift, he was so distracted that he didn't notice whether or not Ash hit any other buttons.

"Hey, Harry?" Ash tilted his head, smiling a little at Harry's spaced-out look.

"Yeah?" Harry snapped back to reality.

"Do I get a goodnight kiss?" Ash was grinning, trying to put Harry at ease.

Harry blinked slowly, then smiled back. He stepped closer and pressed his lips against Ash's, sighing in contentment as he was held without any pressure to go further. His eyes closed as he put a little more force into the kiss, testing how far Ash wanted to go.

Ash, in turn, hummed in contentment as he coaxed Harry's tongue out and entwined it with his own. He wrapped his arms tighter around the shorter man, not enough to make him feel trapped but still firm. He'd sensed Harry's nervousness and was determined not to push too fast. If he had his way, they'd have plenty of time in the future.

After a while, the sound of someone clearing their throat broke through the fog in Harry's brain, and he reluctantly pulled away from Ash. When he saw the RA, Julie, standing in the elevator doorway with her arms folded and an eyebrow raised, his face lit on fire and he started to pull further away.

Ash was having none of that, though.

"Evening, Julie. Something wrong?" He didn't seem phased by being caught kissing someone in public.

"Ash. Harry." Julie tried to keep a serious face, but Ash could see the amusement behind her eyes. "Try to keep that behind closed doors, yeah?"

"Doors were closed," Ash pointed out, still rubbing Harry's back with one hand. Harry, meanwhile, was finding the floor intensely interesting. He was also still blushing furiously.

"Whatever you say," Julie laughed. "Are you going to continue here? Or am I allowed to go to my floor?"

"Step in," Ash grinned, then quickly bent to press a final kiss to Harry's lips. "This is my stop. See you tomorrow." With that he quickly left the elevator and wandered down the hall.

Harry sagged against the wall, unable to meet Julie's eyes. As soon as the doors opened on his floor he fled to his room, slamming his door shut behind him and leaning against it.

After a few minutes of breathing hard, he opened his eyes and looked down. He'd been rather aroused by Ash, and being caught hadn't actually diminished it. In fact, the thought of Ash being so confident and willing to claim him in public was a big turn-on.

Slowly, Harry slipped out of his coat and laid it across the back of his desk chair. He slipped the other Hallows into his desk drawer, and removed from it his lube and a condom. It had been a while since he'd played with his toys, not being in the mood after Jerry, and he felt himself harden completely. He slowly stripped, taking his time to draw out the anticipation.

When he was fully naked, Harry went to his trunk and pulled out a fairly small vibrator. Since it had been a while, he didn't want to risk hurting himself. He tore the wrapper open and rolled the condom onto his toy, then put it to one side as he lay back on his bed.

Gently, Harry rested his hands over his collar-bones and closed his eyes, picturing Ash sitting above him. He licked his lips as he lowered his hands, briefly flicking his nipples before ghosting his hands over his ribs and stomach. He got to his hips and massaged them lightly, fingertips brushing the edges of his pubic hair. Soft touches always worked best to drive Harry wild, something Jerry had never figured out.

Harry growled, before wrenching his mind back on track. No Jerry! Just Ash. And he was certain that Ash would learn how to satisfy him.

He moved his right hand and stroked himself with feather-light touches, imagining Ash and his oh-so-talented fingers touching him instead. His hips started moving of their own accord as he craved more friction, but he kept his hand loose so that he couldn't find it. As he lightly kept stroking, he opened the small tub of lube and coated the fingers on his left hand with it.

Bringing his knees up and spreading his legs, Harry reached down and started to rub against his entrance. He soon slid a finger inside himself, groaning a little at the awkward position. After a moment, he sat a little and shoved some pillows behind him to make it easier, then went back to stroking himself.

Soon enough, he felt ready to add another finger, and tightened his grip a little to distract himself from the burn. He moaned and tilted his head back, imagining Ash preparing him carefully. He continued stretching himself for a minute, then added a third finger briefly.

It wasn't long before he withdrew his fingers and added a generous dollop of lube to his vibrator, before slowly pushing it inside of himself. Every time it started to burn, he gave himself a firm stroke, and soon he gasped in pleasure as it hit his prostate.

Harry stilled both hands, then flicked the vibrator's switch at the same time as he gave himself a firm stroke. He arched his back, breathing hard, as he fucked himself with the vibrator and tightened the grip on his cock almost painfully. It wasn't long before he came all over his hand, gasping out Ash's name at the hight of his climax.

When he came back to himself, Harry cleared the things off his bed, cleaned himself off with tissues, then threw the condom and tissues in the bin. He crawled under the covers and was soon asleep, dreaming about Ash and fantasising about what would happen when they had sex. 

-MIT-

Soft hands stroking him...

A warm mouth licking him...

Long hair brushing against his skin...

Harry gasped as he drifted awake and out of a brilliant dream. He'd dreamt of Ash most of the night, and woke already hard, desperate for completion.

He groaned and covered his face with his hands, before his hips moved and thrust up against the blanket covering him. Harry let out a whimper at the contact, then lowered his hands and used one to firmly stroke himself, the other to fondle his balls. It didn't take much to reach completion, especially with the dream still at the front of his brain.

As he caught his breath, Harry decided that he really didn't like this whole abstinence thing. When he didn't have a boyfriend it was fine, but when he was in a relationship, he wanted sex. And what Harry wanted, Harry usually found a way to get.

Determination having kicked in, Harry rose and collected his things, before throwing on some sweat-pants to wear on the way to the bathroom. Once he was ready for the day, he was tracking Ash down and having a serious conversation with him.

-MIT-

He found Ash sitting in the student lounge, talking with some of his friends in one of the nests of sofas. Harry paused, not sure if he should interrupt. Ash soon took care of the problem by glancing up and smiling at him.

"Hey Harry! C'mon over here, I want you to meet some people." He beckoned Harry over.

Harry's smile lit up his entire face as he walked over, hearing Ash introduce him to his friends as 'my boy-toy and future assistant'. He paused next to Ash, and was promptly pulled down onto the older man's lap. Ash nuzzled his neck briefly, then turned back to the conversation, ignoring Harry's blush. He really wasn't used to public displays of affection, though figured it was something he could come to like.

After a few minutes, a girl with black and purple hair leaned forward with a conspiratorial grin.

"Don't look now guys, but Jerry's giving you two a death-glare! Two guys daring to show affection in public... for shame." She shook her head mockingly, still smiling. Her accent was familiar, but Harry couldn't immediately place it.

Harry sneaked a glance, and indeed, Jerry and his friends were glaring. He started to feel uncomfortable with the way they were staring, and squirmed a little. Ash noticed and started rubbing his stomach lightly. Then Harry felt lips on the back of his neck, and closed his eyes in contentment as Ash kissed and licked from his neck around to his throat. Harry half-turned and soon was kissing back passionately. Ash's hands hadn't stopped moving, and now one was stroking his back while the other wormed its way under his shirt to caress his chest.

Harry opened his eyes a slit to see that Jerry was still watching, and subtly activated the curse Kreacher had put on him. He knew it had taken effect when the other man paled and quickly moved the bag he was carrying so that it covered his groin.

Happy that he'd made an impression, Harry returned all of his attention to Ash, who seemed to be attempting to undo his shirt right here. He let out a chuckle and pulled back, pressing a quick kiss to Ash's cheek before laying his head on the man's shoulder and smirking at the girl who had spoken earlier. He noticed that she and several of the other girls had large smiles, and a couple of the men were sniggering.

"Well," Ash drawled, seeming put out that Harry wasn't going to go any further in the middle of the lounge, "that should give them something to talk about."

-MIT-

The rest of the day was spent hanging around with Ash's friends. They were an odd group, a mix of several different subjects and backgrounds, and Harry found them all interesting. There were friendly rivalries amongst some of them, which made certain discussions very entertaining to listen to.

When evening fell they all went out for pizza, insisting that Harry come along too. He didn't take much convincing, not when Ash threatened to throw him over his shoulder and take him anyway.

"Promise to do that later?" Harry whispered so only Ash could hear, winning a devious smile in return.

"Promise, mi corazón," Ash whispered straight into Harry's ear, ending with giving it a quick lick which caused Harry's knees to go weak.

Over dinner, Harry spent a fair bit of time talking to Mikki, the girl with the black and purple hair. It turned out that she was from Australia, but like him had come to America for university. She was a couple of years younger than him, and in her first year as well, having come straight out of high school.

"America's fun," she enthused, "but I miss my friends back home. Especially Matty, he's been my best friend since we were five."

"Really?" Harry was surprised. "I've never really had a friend like that. I'm still close to my best friends from boarding school, but we have grown apart being so far from each other."

"I hear ya," Mikki nodded. "It's a long way to keep in contact. I think the experience will be worth it, though. I mean, Matty's doing his training for the army, I needed something to keep me occupied as well."

"Army? He's a soldier?"

"Yeah. Well, sorta. He's in the Information and Technology division, so he's not going to be in any battles, but he works for the army."

Harry had paled a little as the conversation turned to armies, and Ash was quick to notice. He laid a hand on Harry's thigh and squeezed slightly, making Harry jump and blush. Ash chuckled, then stole a slice of pizza from him, succeeding in drawing attention away from Harry.

-MIT-

As they all made their way back to the dorm, Harry and Ash were at the back of the group. They walked side by side, Ash's arm wrapped around Harry's waist to keep him there.

"Hey, Ash?" Harry spoke up suddenly, having been fairly quiet so far.

"Yeah?"

"Do you... do you want to come back to my room?" He kept his eyes firmly fixed ahead so that he wouldn't see Ash's expression.

"You sure you're ready for that?" Ash asked, pulling Harry tighter against him so he'd understand that it wasn't a rejection.

"I'm sure," Harry nodded. "I... thought about it last night. I want you." He finished in a whisper, blushing again.

Ash stopped and swung Harry around, kissing him deeply and quickly. As Harry gasped for breath after, Ash grinned down at him.

"Then Hell yeah, I wanna come back with you."

-MIT-

As it turned out, they didn't actually get that far. They stepped out of the elevator on Harry's floor, and Ash immediately started nibbling on Harry's neck. He seemed to be fixated with it, and the pair found it hard to walk like that.

So, naturally, Ash instead backed Harry up against a wall and continued nibbling and kissing. Harry groaned and ran a hand through Ash's hair, then wrapped one leg around Ash in an attempt to pull him closer. He ground their hips together as he did so, pleased when he found an answering arousal.

Before Harry realised what was happening, Ash had fallen to his knees and was mouthing Harry's erection through his jeans. His eyes widened as nimble fingers undid his pants and slipped inside, stroking him and pulling him out.

"Ash, we're still- ah!" Harry's objections were cut off as Ash licked him from base to tip, then smirked up at him. "We're still in the hall," he managed to finish. Ash licked him again, this time running his tongue around the head of Harry's cock before answering.

"I know. That's all part of the fun, isn't it?" Before Harry could answer, Ash gently took the head in his mouth and started to inch forward. Harry let out a strangled cry and let his head thump back against the wall, as his hips started thrusting forwards. As long as Ash kept that glorious mouth on him, he really didn't care that they were in public.

After a moment, he managed to open his eyes and look down at Ash again. The older man caught his eye and winked, then flicked his eyes to the side before focusing his attention back on Harry's cock. Harry let his own gaze slip to where Ash had looked, and swallowed a curse.

Jerry was standing down the hallway, staring at them. He caught Harry's eye, and a mixture of emotions crossed his face. Harry recognised jealousy, and frustration, and maybe a hint of longing. He smirked and ran his hand through Ash's hair, then activated the curse again.

He heard Jerry swear and fall to his knees, then paid him no more attention. Ash was working wonders with his mouth, and Harry knew that he was close.

"Ash," he whispered, stilling his hips and trying to get the man's attention. But he was having none of it, and moved one hand from its grip on Harry's hip to cup his balls. "Ash, I'm gonna come," Harry whimpered. Ash's response was to suck harder, and Harry couldn't help it. He closed his eyes and arched his back, thrusting himself deeper into Ash's mouth as he climaxed.

Harry lazily blinked his eyes open and looked down to see Ash licking him clean, and whimpered again. Ash grinned up at him, then tucked him back inside his jeans and stood up. He pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Harry's mouth and wrapped an arm around him, steering on to his bedroom.

Vaguely, Harry realised that Jerry was still somewhere down the hall, and deactivated the curse. He smirked as he felt the tingle come back to him - apparently, Jerry had come from watching Harry get sucked off. Harry was just happy that he now had a lover who would touch him, and was happy to be seen with him in public.

Now to see if Ash met the rest of Remus' criteria.

-MIT-

When they got to Harry's room, Ash stopped him and cupped his cheek with one hand.

"Harry, love, we don't have to do anything. I promise, I'm not going to push you. I... I shouldn't have pushed you so hard back there." He looked upset with himself, and Harry quickly stepped forwards to kiss him.

He tasted the tang of his own semen still on Ash's tongue, and it stirred his desire again. He wasn't hard again, but he definitely wanted Ash inside him.

"Trust me," Harry whispered when he pulled back. "If I'd wanted you to stop, I would have protested a lot more. It was only the location I objected to, not the act. I want you."

Ash nodded and smiled again, allowing Harry to unlock the door. He followed the shorter man inside and looked around, one eyebrow raising slightly. This room hadn't been this big last time he'd been in here... he quickly dismissed his thoughts and focussed on Harry again.

Harry, meanwhile, had moved in again and was tugging at Ash's shirt to remove it from his pants. Ash grinned and helped to completely disrobe himself before reaching for Harry's jeans again.

The grin dropped, however, when Harry removed his coat and lifted his own shirt, and Ash saw the scars.

A mix of his childhood and the war had left Harry with a fair number of physical scars. Not knowing about his past, however, Ash jumped to a different conclusion. He gently ran his hands up Harry's arms, then walked around him and examined his back, which was littered with faded scars that looked like Harry had been whipped with something, possibly a belt.

"Harry?" Ash ran his hands over Harry's back, gently massaging. Harry hung his head, refusing to speak, so Ash wrapped his arms gently around the shorter man. "Just tell me this: did Jerry do any of this to you?"

"What?" Harry yelped and spun around out of Ash's grasp, eyes ablaze. "Look, if you think I'd let someone do this to me, you clearly don't know me well enough."

"Easy, easy," Ash held up his hands in surrender. "I just wanted to make sure. I know how persuasive Jerry can be, and how hard it can be to get away from him."

Harry nodded slowly, then stepped forwards and let Ash hold him again. The mood was temporarily spoiled, but Ash seemed content to just stand there, rubbing Harry's back with his face buried in the younger man's hair.

After a few minutes, Ash pressed a kiss to the side of Harry's neck before smiling a little again.

"What do you say we just go to sleep, and talk some more in the morning?"

"Okay," Harry nodded. He watched as Ash slid into the bed, back against the wall, before finishing undressing and joining him. Ash quickly pulled him into a hug and started skritching the back of his neck again. Harry sighed in contentment and nuzzled into Ash, taking comfort in his continued presence.

-MIT-

Harry woke to the wonderful feeling of Ash's fingers running through his hair. He hummed in happiness and opened his eyes to see his boyfriend smiling at him. It seemed that during the night he had wrapped himself firmly around Ash, though the other man seemed in no hurry to move.

"Morning," Harry murmured sleepily.

"Mmhmm," Ash nodded back. "I take it I'm a good pillow?"

Harry blushed a little, but smiled and nuzzled into Ash's chest again. After a moment, Ash poked him in the shoulder.

"Hey Harry, wakey wakey. There's some stuff I think we should probably talk about." Ash had a serious undertone to his voice, which Harry didn't like too much. It probably meant he wanted to talk about the scars.

"Such as?" Harry muttered. He wasn't going to make it easy.

"Such as the fact that you're a wizard."

"What?" Harry yelped and flew into a sitting position. Ash merely raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly around the room.

"There is no way that this room is this big on the outside. I've been in here before, and it was as small and cramped as any other single in the dorm. You used magic to make it bigger. Of course, the other big tip off was the house-elf who brought breakfast for us. Breakfast that has stayed hot despite being left there an hour ago." Here, Ash nodded towards the sitting area, where there were two plates containing food. Harry gulped and turned to Ash, looking afraid. Ash immediately sat up and reached out for him, obviously concerned.

"Hey, Harry, calm down. It's okay. What are you afraid of?" He pulled the scared young man into his arms again, worried about the reaction. It wasn't what he'd anticipated.

"I'm a freak," Harry whispered. "You won't want me."

"That'll never happen," Ash ran his hands up and down Harry's back, trying to soothe him. "You're no freak, and nothing you do could drive me away." He kept whispering comforting things to Harry until the smaller man stopped shaking, and kept holding him even longer.

"I don't belong anywhere," Harry started softly, eyes buried in the crook of Ash's neck. He was clinging desperately, hoping that Ash wouldn't leave when he found out but unable to stop himself. "I don't belong in the Muggle world because I know about magic, and I don't belong in the Wizardig world because I... I lost my powers. When I went back to visit over Christmas, I barely knew anyone anymore. I don't belong anywhere."

Ash kept holding him, wondering where all this had come from. Harry had been just fine yesterday, and now he was almost on the verge of a mental breakdown. So he did the only thing he could think of to lighten the mood again. He tilted Harry's head back and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"You belong right here with me," Ash said decisively when he pulled away. "Hell, how d'you think I know about magic? I'm living on the edges too. You just haven't found any others who live in both worlds. That's why you feel so cut off."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused, and Ash grinned at him.

"There's people here in America known as Hunters. Mortal people who know about the Supernatural, and do their best to protect ordinary folks from it. They deal with the scary stuff, monsters and evil magic-wielders, so that those who don't know about it can keep on living their normal lives. My family's been Hunting for at least a century. So trust me, Harry, I know about living on the edge."

Harry blinked in surprise, then laid his head back on Ash's shoulder, thinking about it.

"I'm not a freak?"

"No," Ash shook his head firmly. "And I'll deck anyone who says you are." Harry let out a laugh at that, and Ash mock-glared at him. "What, you think I couldn't? I'm scrawny, but I can handle myself in a scrap."

"I believe you," Harry smiled up at him, content again. "I just never had someone willing to fight for me before."

"Well, get used to it," Ash shrugged. "Now, I suggest we go and use the bathroom to get cleaned up and take care of necessary business. I'm sure you'll feel better after that."

"And after?" Harry asked, hoping he planned to spend the day together.

"After, we come back here and get sweaty again," Ash informed him with a leer that made Harry's pulse speed up. "Trust me, by the end of the day you'll be feeling on top of the world."

-MIT-

After using the bathroom, showering and shaving, Harry did indeed feel better. He felt nervous again, but it was overshadowed by the anticipation. Anticipation which grew as they walked back down the hall to his room, Ash's arm around him. Harry enjoyed the feel of Ash's bare torso against his arm. Ash had decided that since he would just be undressing again soon anyway, there was no need to put his shirt on after a shower.

When they got back to Harry's room, Ash pulled Harry onto his lap on the sofa and snagged a plate of breakfast to share. Harry realised that Ash was a big fan of physical contact, in addition to his public displays of affection, something that Harry hadn't had a lot of. Sure he'd had hugs from everyone when he left, and when he was back in England Hermione would sometimes give him spontaneous hugs, but in general his past made him wary of other people touching him.

Ash didn't give him a whole lot of choice in the matter, and once he relaxed, Harry found that he actually liked it. He also liked the way that Ash would distract him and steal his food off of Harry's fork, and in return feed Harry from his own. And when he licked the sausage, obviously emulating what he'd done to Harry last night, the younger man felt himself growing hard again.

Deciding that he'd had enough food and was ready for something else, Harry leaned forward and kissed Ash quickly but passionately, before starting to explore his lover's body with more than his eyes. Ash put up no resistance, instead he moved the plate back onto the table and loosely wrapped his arms around Harry, letting the smaller man do whatever he wanted.

Harry nuzzled Ash's neck before biting down lightly, then licking to soothe it again. He gradually made his way down, alternating between nipping and licking at the skin of Ash's chest. The older man let out a groan of arousal as he watched Harry suckle his nipples, then start kissing his way further south. Harry moved back off of Ash's lap to settle between his legs. He undid the zip on Ash's jeans, smirking when he realised that the older man had decided not to put his underwear back on, then gently took the tip of Ash's cock into his mouth while wrapping a hand around the remainder.

He heard a muffled thump as Ash let his head fall back against the sofa and smiled around the dick. Even if he was a little out of practice, Harry had gotten quite good at giving blowjobs. While he was sucking he felt a hand travel down his back and into his pants to start kneading his arse, and he started thrusting his hips back into the hand.

"We should move this to the bed," Ash pointed out reluctantly, and Harry released the cock he'd been sucking. He gave it a final lick before standing and pulling Ash to his feet as well. "So, how do you wanna do this?" Ash asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Ah," Harry was caught off guard for a moment. He got to choose? Then something he'd wanted to try came to mind, and he blushed a little, unable to meet Ash's gaze.

"What is it?" Ash asked, a grin clear in his tone. Harry kept looking at the other man's chest, bringing one hand up to draw patterns over it at the same time.

"Um, can I... can I ride you? You lie on your back, and I'll..." he was blushing furiously now, but Ash just caught his hand and stilled its movements.

"Sounds like fun. Need some help preparing?"

"I..." Harry honestly hadn't thought that far ahead. Ash chuckled again, then reached out to lift Harry's shirt over his head. Once that was done he pulled the smaller man towards him so that they were chest to chest, and held him for a moment.

"Tell you what," Ash whispered into Harry's ear. "I'll lay down. You go back to sucking, and I'll take care of preparation."

Harry nodded and stepped back to remove his pants. Ash stepped out of his and lay down on the bed, waiting while Harry retrieved some lube and a condom from his desk. The older man watched where they were hidden and smirked when Harry returned.

"I'll have to remember where they are for future reference," he commented, making Harry blush again. He seemed to like doing that.

"So, ah," Harry ran his eyes over Ash's body and felt the blood leave his face to go somewhere further south, then wondered how they were going to do this. Ash solved the problem by grabbing one of Harry's legs and pulling him towards the head of the bed.

"You sit over me here, and work that talented mouth down there. I'll take care of things this end."

Harry nodded and straddled Ash's head, grateful that he'd showered thoroughly earlier. He started sucking on Ash's cock again, jumping a little when he felt a warm, wet heat envelop his own for a few seconds. It was soon gone again, now engulfing his balls. He fought the urge to bite down in surprise when he felt a tongue start licking its way from his balls back towards his arse.

"Ash," he released the cock from his mouth long enough to whisper. "What are you- oh!" He let out a cry of pleasure as the tongue started pressing against his anus. Ash let out a chuckle, but kept licking at Harry's entrance.

Soon, Ash had wrapped his arms around Harry's waist to keep himself supported, and had his face buried in the smaller man's arse as he fucked him with his tongue. Harry managed to go back to sucking on Ash's cock, careful not to bite him. After a minute or so, he felt that glorious tongue leave him and let out a whine of protest.

"Harry, sit up," Ash whispered, mouth still close enough that Harry could feel his exhaled breath. "I'm too close, don't wanna come before the main event."

Harry nodded and moved back into a sitting position over Ash's face, and the older man went back to penetrating him with his tongue. Fairly soon he added a finger as well, and Harry threw back his head, moaning in pleasure.

When Ash removed his tongue and instead inserted three fingers to stretch him, Harry whimpered and arched his back. The fingers soon found his prostate and rubbed against it each time they thrust into him, drawing delighted mewling sounds from Harry.

Harry decided that he was stretched enough and tore open the condom packet, leaning forwards to roll it onto Ash. The older man's hips bucked up at the contact, and continued thrusting lightly as Harry applied a generous amount of lube. When he was done, Ash removed his fingers and Harry crawled down the bed, turning at the end so he could see Ash while he rode him.

"You ready for this?" Ash whispered as he rubbed Harry's thighs. Harry just nodded, then straddled him. Using one hand, he held Ash's cock and slowly impaled himself on it, not stopping until he was sitting on Ash's hips.

Both men were breathing heavily as they watched each other, and Ash gave Harry a large smile.

"All mine now," the older man said as he lifted his hands to rest on Harry's waist. "Sweet love of mine." He gently massaged the skin under his hands, while Harry started to raise and then lower himself.

Steadying himself by resting his hands on Ash's stomach, Harry leaned forwards slightly as he fucked himself on Ash's cock. He started off slowly, getting used to the movement, but sped up when he found the right angle to hit his prostate. Ash was breathing heavily beneath him, now and then letting out a groan of pleasure when Harry tightened his muscles, creating music to Harry's ears as he let his eyes fall shut.

Ash was enjoying the sight of Harry riding him immensely. The younger man seemed to have dropped all of his issues and inhibitions, and was letting his body feel pleasure. It could be improved further though, Ash realised as he eyed Harry's hard cock, swinging through the air as Harry rode him forcefully.

Harry's eyes flew open and he let out a cry of delight when Ash wrapped a hand around his cock and started pumping. He knew he wasn't going to last long, not with his body overloading on pleasure. Knowing that he wanted Ash to come with him, he started keeping his muscles clenched as he rose upward, then relaxing them as he sank down, creating a massage effect. And from the groans Ash was emitting, it was working.

Soon, Ash knew he was approaching orgasm, and started pumping Harry harder as he met Harry's thrusts with his own. After just a few firm strokes, Harry threw back his head and shook.

"ASH!" He cried out as he dug his fingers into Ash's skin and came hard. The sight, the sound, the feeling of Harry's come on his hand and the muscles clenching around him was enough to push Ash over the edge as well.

"Oh fuck, Harry!" Ash groaned as he grabbed Harry's hips and ground against him, emptying himself inside.

Feeling completely boneless, Harry collapsed against Ash. They stayed panting for a few minutes, before Harry could sit up again and remove the soiled condom. He threw it in the bin and grabbed a towel to clean them both up, then laid down beside Ash again.

Ash drew him into a warm embrace and nuzzled into Harry's hair for a while. Just before sleep claimed them again, Harry heard Ash chuckle.

"Next time, I'm riding you. That looked like fun."

-MIT-

After an hour or so, Harry woke again. Glancing at his clock, he saw that it was only half past two in the afternoon. He looked back at Ash, who was still fast asleep, and smiled. Ash had let Harry be in charge during sex... and he'd even hinted at letting Harry do the penetrating in a future encounter. He was sweet, and caring, and seemed to have no problem with Harry being an ex-wizard. From previous evidence he also enjoyed showing affection in public.

Harry wondered briefly whether Remus could see into the future.

Soon, Harry grew bored with just watching Ash sleep, and started trailing his fingers over Ash's features, commiting them to touch-memory. The older man smiled and pressed his face against Harry's hand, still asleep but obviously enjoying the touch. Harry smiled back and pressed a gentle kiss to Ash's lips.

Next, he drew the covers back and started trailing his hands down Ash's chest, following his fingers with his mouth. He spent some time playing with the man's nipples, before going further down and briefly licking at his belly-button. By now, he could feel Ash's hard cock pressing into his chest, and smiled as he lowered his head and bestowed short, hard licks to it.

Ash's hips started thrusting up, searching for more, but Harry just chuckled and continued with his licks. He then recalled something Ash had done earlier, and moved down to start licking at the man's balls. When he gently took the sac into his mouth and started sucking, he could feel the legs either side of him jerk in response.

"Harry..."

The smaller man looked up at the moan, but it seemed Ash was still asleep. Harry grinned wickedly as he removed his mouth from Ash's balls and sat back, devouring the body spread before him with his eyes. He then leaned forward again and took Ash's cock in his mouth, giving a hard suck as he did so.

"Oh sweet fuck!" Ash exclaimed as he opened his eyes. He looked down to see Harry's green eyes staring up at him in amusement, as the younger man bobbed his head up and down. It only took a split-second for him to come to a decision. He rolled over a little and snagged the lube from where he'd placed it on the floor earlier, then passed it down to Harry.

Harry looked up at him and released the cock, making Ash whine in disappointment.

"Harry, that wasn't a request to stop! I want you to fuck me," Ash elaborated. Harry blinked in surprise.

"You... want me to..."

"Fuck me, yes. C'mon, hurry it up!" He reached out and tried to tug Harry back down to finish his previous task.

Harry smiled at him, then briefly left the bed to retrieve another condom. At Ash's muttered curse, he grabbed a handful and brought them back with him.

"Here," he gave all but one to Ash. "Stick them under the pillow for easy access."

"Oh, I like how you think," Ash grinned at him as he complied.

Harry laughed, then went back to sucking on Ash. He was actually very nervous about this, but Ash seemed to think it was a good idea. After coating his fingers in the lube, he gently started rubbing at Ash's entrance.

Ash bucked his hips a little at the cold, but pressed back against the finger, wanting Harry inside him. In truth, Ash enjoyed being both top and bottom, though he had to trust someone implicitly to consider bottoming.

Pushing a finger inside Ash, Harry felt himself harden completely. In one night and day he'd done more new things with Ash than he'd ever done before. It was exhilarating, and it took all of Harry's control to make sure he prepared Ash properly.

When he added a second finger, Ash let out a moan that may have included his name. Harry smiled and continued sucking, scissoring his fingers and searching.

"FUCK YES!" Ash shouted, and Harry knew he'd found the man's prostate. He kept thrusting his fingers to hit it as he sucked Ash's cock, and fairly soon Ash was writhing and bucking his hips, pleading for more. He added another finger, making sure that Ash was properly stretched, but was cut off by a nudge from Ash's leg.

"Harry, that's enough, promise. Just get in me!" Ash seemed almost desperate, and Harry decided to follow his instructions. He gave one final, hard suck to the cock in his mouth before releasing it and sitting up. As he tore open the condom wrapper and rolled it onto his own dick, Ash quickly turned to lie on his stomach and raised onto his knees, arse in the air like a cat in heat. Harry had to breath hard not to come from the sight alone.

He briefly massaged Ash's arse cheeks for a moment, before raising onto his own knees and pressing the head of his cock against Ash's entrance. As he gently slid in, he felt the muscles clamp down on him, and started panting heavily. He came to a rest when he was fully sheathed, enjoying the tight heat surrounding him.

Ash, however, was a lot more impatient, and started thrusting his hips.

"I swear, Harry, if you don't move soon I'm gonna - FUCK!" He shouted out as Harry wrapped a hand around his cock at the same time as he started thrusting.

"You were saying something?" Harry managed to choke out over the pleasure. Ash shook his head and Harry altered the angle of his thrusts, trying to find his prostate again.

"Oh yes, right there!" Ah, found it. Harry was leaning forwards as he fucked Ash, using one hand to stroke his cock and the other to roam over his chest and stomach, tweaking a nipple every now and then. From Ash's garbled words, what seemed to be curses interspersed with Harry's name, he figured that his actions were appreciated.

It was only a few minutes before Ash came, screaming Harry's name and a few more obscenities as he did so. The shorter man followed after just a few more thrusts, then collapsed on top of Ash. They both lay panting, unwilling or unable to move.

Eventually, Harry gingerly sat up, eliciting a whimper from Ash as he withdrew. He quickly threw the condom in the bin and, rolling his lover over onto his back again, used the discarded towel from earlier to clean up Ash's semen.

Ash grinned lazily up at him, clearly sated.

"Y'know," he muttered, trying to pull Harry down to rest again, "that's the best wake-up call I've ever had." Harry laughed and lay down, nuzzling into Ash's chest again.

-MIT-

A fortnight passed, and Harry was feeling on top of the world. He and Ash spent at least an hour together every day, even if a few days passed between having sex. They more often spent their time working on school work, or just talking, getting to know each other better. It was an actual relationship, something Harry had craved for a long time.

He'd received his invite to Ron and Hermione's wedding the following July, not long before his birthday, and had gotten permission to bring Ash with him. Ash was excited at the prospect of visiting England and meeting Harry's friends, and of course the birthday party that Remus was organising.

Harry was just as excited about the road-trip they'd plant after, to go visit some of Ash's Hunter friends. Apparently, an old friend of the family's ran a road-house for Hunters. Ash had warned him not to be too free with the magic that was slowly returning, as most Hunters would assume that he had made a deal with a demon to get his powers, and attack first without giving him a chance to explain. Even so, he was still looking forward to it.

Currently, Harry was laying on his bed, dozing. Since Ash had started spending some night sleeping there, Harr had persuaded Kreacher to work his magic again and enlarge the bed to something more suitable for two people. It hadn't actually taken much convincing - the elf actually liked Ash. Then again, most people did.

His final lecture of the day had finished just after two, so he was killing time until Ash's lecture finished. The older man would be coming by after to help Harry with an assignment for the programming class.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard his door open. It was soft, as were the footsteps that approached the bed, and Harry kept his eyes closed even as a smile tugged at his lips.

"Been waiting for you," he whispered, feeling the bed dip as his visitor straddled his waist.

"Oh really?"

Harry's eyes flew open at the voice. It wasn't Ash.

It was Jerry.

Jerry grabbed the arm that flew at him and quickly pinned Harry to the bed, smashing his mouth against the younger man's in a bruising kiss. Harry bit down hard on Jerry's lip, making him withdraw with a curse.

"Get the fuck off me!" Harry shouted as he struggled. He knew that nothing could happen without him willing Jerry hard, but he was still scared. Jerry was still bigger than him and could physically hurt him.

"No," Jerry shook his head and ground his hips down, obviously trying to get aroused. "See, ever since you left me, I haven't been able to get hard. Except when I see you. So you're gonna get me hard, and we're gonna fuck."

"No!" Harry kept trying to buck Jerry off, and cried out in pain as the older man bit his neck. That was going to bruise.

"Yes," Jerry nodded. He held both of Harry's wrists in one hand, using the other to reach into Harry's pants and grab his cock. "Hm, not hard? I'm sure we can fix that. Just need to get one of your toys out."

Harry was shaking in part anger, part fear. The look in Jerry's eyes was maniacal, and Harry knew that he was going to inflict pain on Harry one way or another.

Feeling his magic give him a burst of strength, Harry managed to throw Jerry off of him and across the room, slamming into the door. Jerry fell to the ground with a curse, but Harry was already moving. He wrenched open the door and threw Jerry out into the hall, before slamming the door closed, locking it and leaning against it.

He could hear Jerry banging on the door, shouting to be let in, but he refused to budge. After a few minutes the banging stopped, and Harry slid down onto the ground, curling into a ball, still shaking.

Harry wasn't sure how much time passed like that. He couldn't think of anything except what had nearly happened, and let out a whimper when someone rattled the door handle.

"Harry? You in there, love?"

At the sound of Ash's voice, Harry lept up and threw the door open. Before Ash could blink, he had his arms filled with Harry, who clung to him and started to cry.

"Woah, Harry! What happened? Are you okay?" Ash quickly wrapped his arms around his lover, stroking the back of his head and trying to comfort him.

Harry shook his head and clung tighter, letting out a whimper.

Ash looked down with wide eyes, more than a little frightened. Then he saw the bruise forming on Harry's neck, and growled in anger. He'd heard a rumour going around that Casey had broken off her engagement to Jerry upon finding out that he'd been sleeping with men. Add a vengeful Jerry to a bruised and scared Harry, and Ash didn't like what he came up with.

"I'm gonna kill him," Ash growled, holding Harry tighter. "Harry, I swear, he's never touching you again."

Harry sniffled a little, not letting go his death-grip on Ash's shirt. The older man nuzzled Harry's hair for a moment, then nodded to himself and lifted the smaller man into his arms. He kicked the door shut behind him as he went into the room properly and lay down on the bed, keeping himself between Harry and the door.

It took a while for Harry to calm down, and he then haltingly told Ash everything. From the curse Kreacher had put on Jerry, to activating it when Ash was giving Harry attention, to what had happened that afternoon. Ash listened to it all, tightening his arms around Harry whenever the smaller man faltered. When the tale was finished, Ash pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead before responding.

"He was going to hurt you. That's all I need to know. And I'm going to kill him for it."

Harry reached up and kissed Ash. The two lay there, legs tangling together, kissing slowly but passionately.

"Ash, make love to me," Harry whispered when he pulled away. Ash gave him a concerned look.

"Are you sure? After what Jerry tried..."

"I'm sure. I can still... I can still feel him on me. I need to feel you."

Ash nodded and kissed him again, rolling them so that he was hovering above Harry. They made short work of undressing, and Ash quickly prepared Harry, even as the younger man wrapped a hand around both of their cocks, stroking them to hardness simultaneously.

Even if it was an awkward position, Ash knew that Harry needed to see him while they had sex this time. So he pulled up Harry's legs to rest over his shoulders, then reached under the pillow for a condom, only to be stopped by Harry.

"No. We're both clean, I... I want to feel you. Please." At the desperate, nearly-broken look in his eyes, Ash nodded. He'd do anything to put Harry back together again.

After coating himself in lube, Ash slid into Harry, taking it slow. He was determined to be tender and caring this time, everything that Harry needed. The angle didn't allow him to kiss Harry's lips, so instead he ran his hands over Harry's chest, and turned his head to press kisses to the legs either side of his head.

Harry led out small gasps of pleasure as he felt Ash moving inside him. He reached out and grasped one of Ash's hands, watching as his love brought the other hand down to stroke him as well. All the time, Ash kept a quiet stream of loving and tender words. He would do whatever it took to make Harry feel secure again.

Soon, both men came, gasping out the others name. Ash took care of the cleanup, never moving far from Harry's side, then pulled the covers over them both and held Harry close as the smaller man drifted off to sleep.

Ash stayed awake, though. He knew that they needed to do something about Jerry - the man was dangerous now. And Harry's previous actions meant that the man was fixated on him, which could only lead to trouble.

He decided that when they woke, he'd try to convince Harry to press charges. If nothing else, it would show Jerry that they weren't going to let the matter go.

-MIT-

As it turned out, pressing charges wasn't necessary.

The news was all over the campus the next morning - Jerry had committed suicide by jumping from the top of the dorms. Harry was shocked when he read the article on the school's website, just as Kreacher appeared with their breakfast.

Ash looked around in suspicion and caught Kreacher's eye. The elf gave an evil grin and winked.

A slow smile spread across Ash's face as he nodded back. Neither would be mentioning this to Harry.

-MIT-

Harry drifted awake to the feeling of fingers tracing patterns on his back. He didn't need to see it to know that Ash was following his scars again.

They hadn't spoken about his scars since that first night, Ash seeming content to wait for Harry to start the conversation. He'd been dropping hints, though - tracing the scars with his fingers, making sure to kiss them during sex, small things like that.

By now, Ash probably had his whole body memorised according to the placement of scars. He'd nearly hit the roof when he saw the ones that formed words - 'I must not tell lies' on his hand, and a very faint 'freak' on his lower back. Granted, that one had distorted as he grew, so it was hard to determine what it actually said now. Ash had worked it out, though, and was not impressed.

Harry opened his eyes after a while. He'd spent the night before in Ash's bedroom, and was now laying in bed with Ash spooned behind him. He felt Ash tracing the 'freak' one again, and decided to speak up.

"That was when I was six. I'd broken my arm when my cousin tripped me down the stairs, and it healed in a matter of hours, without going to the doctor. My uncle made his displeasure known."

Ash froze, staring at the back of Harry's head. Harry continued speaking.

"The other scars back there are from Uncle Vernon's belt. He really didn't like me using magic. Even if I didn't know that was what I was doing." He turned in Ash's arms and held up his hand to show the scarred words there. "That was from a particularly sadistic teacher who didn't believe that Voldemort really returned." He pointed to a scar on his fore-arm. "That's from a basilisk bite when I was twelve." Pointed to a different scar. "That one's from where Wormtail took some of my blood to raise Voldemort." He ran a hand over some of the scars on his chest. "And most of these are from when the Death Eaters caught and tortured me."

Harry fell silent, watching Ash's reaction. For a few minutes there wasn't one, Ash seemed to have shut down. Then the older man blinked, and there was fire in his eyes as he pulled Harry close and kissed him hard.

"No one's ever touching you again," he growled, before going back to kissing Harry.

This course of events was fine by Harry, and he gave as good as he got.

-MIT-

Before they knew it, it was exam time. Between revising and the bad timetables, Ash and Harry didn't see much of each other for two weeks. By the end, Harry was on the verge of exploding from the sexual frustration, and Ash didn't look much better.

So when on Friday after his final exam Harry entered the lounge to see Ash sitting on a sofa, leaning back with his eyes closed while his friends chattered around him, he decided that he was fed up with the situation. Without caring about who was watching, he marched over to Ash, straddled his lap and started kissing his neck.

Ash jumped a little in surprise, then groaned and offered more skin at the same time as he grabbed Harry's arse and started grinding upwards. Both men ignored the cat-calls from various onlookers in favour of latching onto each other in a desperate kiss.

Faintly, Ash could hear someone nearby saying something in an annoyed tone - probably telling them off, he wasn't really paying attention. Not when Harry was moving his hips as well, apparently over his reluctance to go too far in public, and wasn't protesting as Ash started tugging his coat off.

"BOYS!"

Ash and Harry both jumped and looked up, blinking in surprise at Julie's shout.

"Huh?" Harry intelligently commented, having forgotten that there were other people around.

"Can we help you?" Ash was quite proud of himself for managing a complete sentence.

"Yes, actually," Julie folded her arms and gave them a stern look. "You can move that into one of your rooms, instead of here."

"Aw, Julie!"

"Spoilsport!"

"Leave them alone, they're not hurting anyone!"

"Yeah, just enjoy the show!"

Everyone else in the room broke out in protest, having been thoroughly enjoying watching two sexy men making out. What could be better than live porn?

Harry flamed red as he realised how close he'd come to having sex with Ash in the middle of the student lounge and tried to get up, only to be stopped by Ash's arms around his waist. With what seemed very little effort, Ash stood up, coaxing Harry to wrap his legs around the taller man. There were more whistles as Ash carried his smaller lover towards the elevator, both men enjoying the friction it created as their groins rubbed together.

In the elevator, Ash pushed Harry up against the wall and went back to kissing him as they ground against each other. It didn't take long for both men to shudder and moan their release.

Panting heavily, Harry dropped his legs back to the floor and leaned against the wall, temporarily sated. Ash's head fell to his neck, giving in to his fetish and nibbling at the skin, drawing contented sighs from Harry. Once he'd gotten his breath back, Harry let out a small laugh.

"I can't believe we nearly had sex in front of Julie," he muttered as he stroked Ash's hair. The older man laughed as well, before slipping a hand under Harry's shirt to stroke at his skin.

"Well, we still haven't had sex yet. Let's go back to your room and do it properly."

Harry nodded enthusiastically, and tugged Ash out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened on his floor.

-MIT-

As they stumbled into the International Arrivals area of Heathrow, Harry could barely keep his eyes open. He really hated flying - he couldn't sleep properly, there were too many strangers, and the flight attendants were all obnoxiously cheerful. Even Ash looked exhausted, though that was probably more from dealing with a sleep-deprived Harry than anything else.

While they were fine getting through customs, it took them a few minutes to find their bags. Ash kept laughing whenever Harry would grumble about the lack of summoning charms available to him, which didn't help Harry's temper.

Ash realised just how tense Harry was getting as they waited at the carousel, and gently wrapped his arms around the shorter man as he stood behind him. Harry started to relax and lean backwards, and hummed in contentment when Ash nuzzled the back of his neck.

"Relax, love. We're here for a holiday, remember? To celebrate with your friends? And possibly drive them insane with worry when they realise what you're mixed up with this time." That drew a small laugh, which Ash was ready to count as a major victory.

"Harry?" A voice called out, and both men turned towards it, Ash reluctantly releasing his hold. A large smile broke out on Harry's face when he recognised the man hurrying towards them.

"Remus! Merlin, I've missed you!" He quickly moved to Remus and hugged him, glad to see his honorary uncle. The werewolf smiled as he hugged back, then glanced over at Ash.

"Cub? Is there someone you want to introduce me to?" Given Harry's emails, Remus knew who Ash was. They hadn't yet met, however, and Remus was still cautious of anyone who might cause Harry harm.

Harry stepped back and smiled as he held out a hand for Ash. The older man ambled forward and wrapped his left arm around Harry's waist, holding out his right hand for Remus to shake.

"Remus, this is Ash, my boyfried. Ash, this is Remus. He's-"

"The awesome one, right?" Ash finished with a grin. "Good to meet you. Hary speaks very highly of you."

Remus shook Ash's hand, head tilted slightly to one side as he assessed the young man. Then he turned to Harry and nodded.

"I like him, Cub. Keep him. Well, c'mon - let's find your bags and head home." He kept up a stream of chatter, making sure that Harry was up-to-date with all of the latest news. "I managed to convince everyone to hold off on visiting, give you time to settle in. Ron and Hermione will probably be around first thing in the morning, though."

Harry groaned at the though of getting up early, even if it was for his friends. As a child, he'd been an early riser only out of necessity, and now preferred to lie in bed and cuddle with his boyfriend.

Ash seemed to guess what he was thinking, and chuckled as he pressed a quick kiss to Harry's temple.

"I'll try not to keep you up too late tonight then, love," he whispered.

Harry flushed and shot a glance at Remus as he struggled out of Ash's grasp, but the werewolf merely smiled indulgently and turned to pull Harry's bag off of the carousel. He could, dimly, remember being Harry's age and having a partner. Ash chuckled and grabbed his own bag before following the others outside. This was going to be a fun three weeks.

-MIT-

"Harry! I'm so glad- oof!" Hermione was cut off by a pillow thrown at her head. She lowered it and Ron looked over her shoulder, both blinking in surprise at the sight.

Harry was sitting on the edge of the bed, stark naked and blushing like mad.

Ash was kneeling between his legs, apparently in the middle of sucking him off, and not seeming inclined to stop.

Hermione had a rather evil smile on her face, but before she could say anything Ron made a choking noise and pulled her out of the room. He then shouted through the closed door.

"Mate, we'll be downstairs! Meet you there when you've... er, finished!"

-MIT-

Shortly after, a still-blushing Harry and rather nonchalant Ash met the others down in the kitchen. Hermione and Ron were seated either end of the small table, so Harry and Ash moved to sit between them, Harry closest to Ron and Ash next to Hermione. Remus was still chuckling now and then from where he was leaning against the kitchen counter, and Ron found it hard to look at his friend. Apparently, the werewolf had guessed what Harry and Ash had been doing when he sent Ron and Hermione to say hello.

"Remus, you're a bitch," Harry muttered as he slid into his chair. This made Remus descend into full-blown laughter, and Ash started to chuckle as well. Harry glared at them both, then turned to Hermione, who was still smiling. He decided that her smile was a little too scary, and turned to Ron instead.

"So, how's the Ministry going to cope without its two best Aurors while you two are gallivanting around on your honeymoon?" He teased. After Hogwarts, Ron had done as expected and applied for Auror training. Much to everyone's surprise, so had Hermione. The two actually worked very well together, and had often been hailed as the public face of the Auror Corps.

"Eh, Hermione just told them that we were taking time off, and that they'd have to deal with any problems themselves," Ron shrugged, obviously grateful for the topic. "Wisely, they didn't try to argue."

"Yeah, I wouldn't either," Harry agreed.

While Ron and Harry talked about various plans for the wedding and beyond, Hermione was smiling at Ash. The American smiled back, refusing to let her unnerve him. After a few minutes, he decided to turn the tables.

"So," he turned the grin into a smirk. "Did the cat-fur in the Polyjuice really happen? 'Cause let me say, you'd make a damn fine cat-girl."

Hermione let out a splutter, caught off guard. Ron and Harry tuned in to their conversation, confused.

"Hermione? Something wrong?" Ron asked, while Harry turned a suspicious eye on Ash. Given the man was still smirking, he figured it was something Ash had said.

"What did you tell her?" Harry asked, eyes narrowing.

"All I said was that she'd make a damn fine cat-girl. I'm allowed to say she's sexy, aren't I?" Ash spread his hands, a look of feigned innocence on his face. Harry shrugged, apparently okay with that.

"Take it as a compliment, Hermione," he smiled at her. "It's what he means it as. He just has a funny way of showing it."

"Yeah, I'm not making a pass at you," Ash assured her. "For one, you don't have a cock."

"ASH!" Harry immediately flushed and glared at Ash again.

"What? She doesn't. And even if she did, I'm quite happy with yours."

"Ash, please stop talking," Harry groaned and covered his face with his hands. He was quite sure that he was going to die of embarassment any minute now.

"Why? I've never hidden the fact that I'm gay. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"What do I have to do to shut you up?"

"Well..." The leer was obvious in Ash's tone, and he reached out to run a hand up Harry's thigh. Harry removed his hands from his face to glare at him, and bat away the hand that was at his groin.

"NO! We are not having sex in front of my friends. Can you not keep your hands to yourself for five damn minutes?" A sparkle in his eyes betrayed the fact that Harry wasn't as angry as he was pretending to be.

"You weren't this shy after exams," Ash pointed out in a light tone, clearly enjoying teasing his lover. "You seemed quite intent on screwing me in the middle of the student lounge."

"Wait," Hermione held up a hand. "Did anyone get pictures of this?"

Harry and Ron both turned a glare on her. Remus let out another laugh, while Ash just grinned at her.

"Actually," he informed her a little sadly, "we were interrupted before we got very far. Someone reminded Harry that we were in public, and he got shy again." He let out a put-upon sigh. "One of these days I'll convince him to give exhibitionism a try."

"Not bloody likely," Harry snapped, flushed again, though his eyes still sparkled. Hermione realised that this was an ongoing argument between the two.

"Oh, you know you'd enjoy it. Like you enjoy this." Before Harry could react, Ash had leaned forwards and was kissing him thoroughly, in the perfect way to make his brain shut down. Harry let out a whimper and kissed back as well as he could, wrapping one arm around Ash's waist and threading the other hand through his hair. He felt himself be pulled forward and went willingly, dragged onto Ash's lap. After a few seconds, though, he remembered that they were technically arguing and pulled back, hitting Ash lightly on the shoulder.

"Not gonna work this time. Now, let me go so I can talk to Ron again."

"Nope," Ash grinned smugly and tightened his hold. Harry sighed and turned a little, resigned to spending the morning sitting on Ash's lap. Not that he really minded - it was just odd, showing affection for someone in front of his friends.

Then he remembered that they still had the wedding to get through, and swallowed nervously. He wasn't sure what Ash would do in front of the rest of the Weasleys, but he knew that it was going to be embarassing. 

-MIT-

"Molly, dear, surely we don't need all of this food. You know that Harry doesn't eat much." Arthur tried to talk his wife out of the kitchen, even though he knew it was a futile effort.

"Nonsense! He needs to eat more. And Remus said his boyfriend's just as skinny," Molly returned to chopping up random things that Arthur was fairly sure wouldn't actually get eaten. He'd seen Harry's appetite, even when starving after a battle, and knew that the boy preferred small, simple dishes. Molly, however, believed in showing her love for people by feeding them.

Arthur just shook his head and returned to his garage, where he had been tinkering with a Robo Rally set that Hermione had bought him.

-MIT-

"Now please, Ash, don't go overboard with the affection tonight," Harry pleaded with his boyfriend as they got ready to head to the Burrow. "None of them are overly demonstrative, and they've never seen me with a partner."

"And you slept with their daughter," Ash finished for him, making Harry flush.

"Well, I'm not sure who knows how far we got," Harry muttered. "But Ginny's not going to be a problem, we knew we weren't working out way before I left. She probably has a boyfriend of her own. It's more that Molly's the closest thing to a mother I ever had, she really does tend to treat me like one of her sons. And I really want you two to get along."

Ash smiled a little and snagged Harry around the waist as he passed, pressing a kiss to his neck.

"Okay love, I'll try to restrain myself for the in-laws," he assured Harry, winning a relieved smile. "But you have to promise me sex when we get back."

"Deal," Harry laughed, feeling better about the evening.

-MIT-

The night didn't start off too badly. Ron and Hermione took Harry and Ash via side-along apparition, which Ash handled well. Upon opening the door, Harry was immediately engulfed in a hug from Molly, though he clearly didn't mind.

"Harry, dear, it's so good to see you again! Oh, you haven't been eating properly! I'm going to have a stern word with that house-elf of yours, he needs to make sure you eat full meals." She then released him and turned to Ash, casting a critical eye over him. "Hm. You don't eat enough either."

"Molly, this is Ash," Harry smiled and tugged Ash closer. Ash gave the woman his disarming smile, then pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. Harry's spoken of your kindness often." Harry's jaw nearly dropped at the way Ash seemed to turn on the charm. From the looks of it, he was well on his way to winning over Molly, who smiled back at him and ushered everyone inside.

Despite Harry's fears, once inside Ash seemed to be on his best behaviour. He kept the overt displays of affection to a minimum, though he still stayed close by Harry most of the evening. And he actually seemed to be getting on well with Ginny, which was a bonus. Harry figured that it helped being different genders, and it being a few years between his relationships. There was no real reason not to like each other.

Naturally, Ash and Arthur got along well. Ash was able to talk to the older man about technology and robotics, answering any questions Arthur had patiently. Harry was happy that his boyfriend and surrogate family were getting along well, and let his guard down.

Which was never a good thing when Fred and George were around.

Before he knew it, Harry had managed to get extremely drunk, thanks to the twins spiking his Butterbeer with just enough Firewhiskey to not be noticeable. They reasoned that a drunk Harry was usually a very happy Harry.

They'd forgotten what else Harry liked to do when he was drunk.

Which was why Molly walked into the kitchen to find Ash leaning against the counter with Harry wrapped around him, rubbing their groins together and kissing his taller lover rather passionately. She was about to say something, when Ash pulled back and nudged Harry with his nose.

"C'mon love, we'd best get you home to bed. Remember what you said about not going too far in front of your family?"

"Hmm. Bed. Good idea," Harry agreed happily, eyes half closed. Ash chuckled and lifted him up to carry him. "Hey, I can walk!"

"Not in a straight line," Ash informed him. "And definitely not without falling over."

"Meanie," was the intelligent reply. Again, Ash laughed as he carried Harry towards the door to find someone to send them back to Remus' house. He paused when he saw Molly giving him a disapproving stare.

"Sorry about that ma'am," Ash smiled at her. "Harry had a bit too much to drink. He just needs to sleep it off."

Molly shook her head, clearly not impressed. Ash stifled a sigh - he hated dealing with mothers after they saw him kissing their boys.

Thankfully Arthur came into the kitchen then, and smiled when he saw Harry half asleep in Ash's arms.

"You need a hand getting him home?" Arthur offered. Ash nodded gratefully.

"If someone could do the teleporty thing for us, that'd be great." Ash had been told that it was called Apparating, he just didn't feel like learning the word.

"Not a problem," Arthur assured him and gestured to head outside. "I'll take you both. Be back soon, dear," he called over his shoulder as he followed the boys.

-MIT-

Upon reaching Grimmauld Place again, Ash bid Arthur a pleasant evening and managed to get a half-asleep Harry inside. He sighed as he laid the smaller man down on their bed and began undressing them both. By the time he'd finished and lay down as well, Harry was fast asleep and happily curled into him. Ash smiled and held him as he drifted off as well, hoping that the hangover wouldn't be too severe. 

-MIT-

Ash leaned against the wall, watching the proceedings with amusement. Ron and Hermione's wedding ceremony had been small, tasteful and sweet. The reception, on the other hand, was basically a huge party with plenty of alcohol flowing. It was mostly Wizarding folk with a few Muggles who knew of the existence of magic, such as the parents of Muggle-borns.

The reception was being held in a large hall in London, in the middle of a beautiful park. One wall of the hall was taken up by the bar, with a stage for the live band on the other side. It was a lovely place, and Hermione had been ecstatic when Ron had managed to find it for her.

Currently, Harry was dancing with Hermione, and actually doing well. He had remembered the brief dancing lessons from their fourth year at Hogwarts, and he had always been quite graceful.

As the dance ended, Harry enveloped his friend in a hug and held her for a few moments.

"I'm so proud of you two," he whispered. "And I know you're going to be happy."

"Thanks Harry," Hermione squeezed him back. "I'm sure you and Ash are going to be happy together too."

"Yup," Harry smiled widely as he released her. "I'm sure we are too."

-MIT-

Not long after, Harry was talking to some of the boys he'd known at Hogwarts, trying to explain why he wasn't married yet. Ash was sitting a few seats away with Ron and Hermione, trying not to give Harry away by laughing. It didn't help that the new Mrs Weasley had covered her face with her hands and her shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter.

After several minutes, Ash got up and stood next to Harry. He was starting to get a little annoyed about the fact that Harry hadn't mentioned the fact that he was currently in a relationship with a man, and wasn't entirely sure how to make his displeasure known without putting Harry's back up.

Then he shrugged internally. Most of the things he did put Harry's back up, why should tonight be any different?

He waited until Harry turned to notice him, a large smile gracing the younger man's face. Ash couldn't help but feel a little reassured by Harry's obvious fondness for him.

"Ash! This is Dean, Michael and William. I went to school with them."

"You're a friend of Harry then?" Dean asked, one corner of his mouth lifting. Ash returned the smirk - apparently this one had guessed at Harry's orientation.

"You could say that," Ash drawled. Harry bit his lower lip, worried about what his boyfriend was up to this time.

"You tell us then," Michael started, oblivious to the tension, "since Harry's being so evasive. Is he geting close to settling down with someone?"

"I certainly hope so," Ash said cheerfully, drawing a snigger from Dean.

"Really?" Harry asked hopefully as he looked up at his boyfriend.

"Really," Ash nodded, then pulled Harry close for a kiss.

Harry tensed for a moment, then slid his arms around Ash and kissed back. He felt Ash's fingers sliding through his hair and let out a whimper when they came to scratch the back of his neck.

Without breaking the kiss, Harry pushed Ash back into a chair, then sat stradling his lap. They hadn't found any time lately for themselves, in fact Harry still owed his lover for behaving at the Weasley's and stopping Harry from embarassing himself in front of them. So by now, Harry was just about ready to give exhibitionism a try if it mean that he and Ash could have sex.

Ash didn't seem to have a problem with this.

"Uh, Harry? Mate?"

"What!" Harry snapped when he finally pulled away from Ash. The older man was grinning happily, and had moved his hands to rest on Harry's arse, leaving onlookers with no doubt as to what the two had been planning.

Ron stood behind Harry, actually looking fairly amused. Hermione was next to him, eyes sparkling in merriment again. Giving them a half-hearted glare, Harry wrapped his arms around Ash's neck and cuddled into him, quite obviously not keen on moving.

"Just thought you should know," Ron pointed out amiably, "that there were some reporters hanging around earlier. So you've probably just outed yourself to the whole of the Wizarding world."

"So?" Harry shrugged. "They love gossiping about me, may as well give them something to talk about." He turned back to Ash and nuzzled his neck for a moment. "I'd hoped to keep them away from us, but I guess that's not really an option any more."

"Good for you," Hermione nodded. "And maybe this way people will quit asking you to marry their daughters, too."

"They'd better," Ash growled, before grabbing Harry's hips and thrusting upwards. Harry closed his eyes and let out a moan of arousal, grinding down and receiving delicious friction. Both men were well on their way to hardness. Ash bit down on Harry's neck drawing a sharp gasp, then set about licking it to soothe him again. "Want you in me," Ash whispered into Harry's ear, earning another moan.

Harry quickly stood and tugged on Ash's arm, then shot Ron and Hermione a grin.

"We'll be back... later. Okay?"

"Okay," Ron laughed.

"Get someone to take pictures!" Hermione called as Ash pulled his shorter lover outside.

They didn't make it very far. In fact, they only managed to get about ten feet from the doors when Harry pushed Ash against the wall and claimed another kiss. Ash felt a shiver of anticipation as he felt the rough stone against his back, and quickly dug in his pocket for something he'd been sure to bring along.

Harry broke the kiss when he felt a familiar object pushed into his hand, and laughed.

"You brought lube?" He managed to choke out, before kissing Ash's neck.

"Of course," Ash grinned as he undid his belt and trousers. "I was hoping that something like this would happen."

"Fair enough," Harry smirked against Ash's skin, then dropped to his knees to do something more useful with his mouth.

"Ah, Harry!" Ash groaned as he felt his lover wrap talented lips around the head of his cock and slide forward. He was soon engulfed by the warm, wet mouth he loved so much. "Oh, fuck, you're good at this," he moaned as he felt a lube-slicked finger gently caressing his entrance.

Harry gently slid his teeth along Ash's cock as he pulled away, and grinned at the whimper his boyfriend let out. He grasped the cock in his free hand and stroked at it, leaning forwards to nuzzle at Ash's balls while he thrust his fingers into him. Ash hissed sharply at the intrusion, but thrust back, begging for more. When Harry managed to brush against his prostate, his knees went weak as he overloaded on stimulation.

Soon enough, Harry removed his fingers and stood, undoing his trousers as Ash quickly turned and braced himself against the wall, legs spread as far as he could with his own pants around his ankles. Harry smirked at the sight as he covered his cock in lube, then stepped up close to Ash. He wasted no time sliding into his lover, and both sighed in contentment when he was fully sheathed.

After pausing for a moment, Harry began thrusting. Though he took it slow at first, getting reaccustomed to the act, he was soon pounding into Ash, much to the taller man's enjoyment.

"Fuck, love, yes! There!" Ash had been reduced to single syllable words from the repeated thrusts against his prostate, coupled with the firm strokes Harry was giving to his cock. It didn't take long for him to come hard, clenching around Harry and moaning his name.

"Ash!" Harry's thrusts became erratic as he felt his own orgasm approaching. Struck with a sudden idea, he lifted a come-covered hand to Ash's face. Ash immediately turned his head to lick the fingers clean, and Harry thrust deep into his boyfriend and hissed as he came.

They stayed connected for a few minutes as they caught their breath, Harry leaning against Ash and Ash leaning against the wall. Eventually they pulled away and tidied themselves up. Ash smiled and stole a brief kiss from his lover.

"Told you you'd like exhibitionism," he told Harry smugly.

-MIT-

BOY WHO LIVED HOMOSEXUAL!

Last night at the wedding of his best friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry Potter was seen kissing another man. It has come to this reporter's attention that the man came over with Potter from America, where the Boy Who Lived has been studying at a Muggle University for the past year.

Sources reveal that the mystery man's name is Ash, though no surname has been given, and that the two have been near inseprable since they began their relationship six months ago.

It had been hoped that the Saviour would settle down and marry Ginevra Weasley, the youngest of the clan, however hopes were dashed three years ago when the two broke apart. I guess this new development explains why the relationship ended.

-MIT-

Remus chuckled as he read the front page of the Daily Prophet. The article was underneath a photograph of Harry sitting on Ash's lap, both far more interested in the other than in anything else going on around them.

He was happy for his cub, and quite liked Ash. Remus had been a little concerned when Harry had admitted how fast the relationship had gone, but it seemed that Ash was actually good for him. He was helping Harry to become a lot more confident in himself, and assert his own wants and needs. Harry had been confident as a commander in the War, but not so much in his personal life. It was good to see him with someone who supported him whole-heartedly.

The objects of Remus' musings chose that moment to stumble into the kitchen, and the werewolf smirked. He could quite easily smell what they'd been doing before deciding to come in search of food.

Harry blushed a little at the smirk, while Ash grinned back. Remus pushed the newspaper towards them, and Harry groaned.

"I don't want to know. I need food first."

"I wanna know," Ash commented as he picked up the paper and read the article. He was laughing by the end, which made Harry scowl.

"Okay, how bad is it?" He asked, resigned.

"It's brilliant!" Ash chuckled. "And yet even with their sources, they couldn't find out my surname."

"What is your surname?" Remus asked then, frowning a little. "I don't think you ever mentioned it."

"Malderiere," Ash shrugged. "My dad's grandpa was French."

"Mal..." Harry started, then burst out laughing. "You mean you really are Dr Badass?"

"Yup." 

-MIT-

Ash hummed in contentment as he lay with his head in Harry's lap. The smaller man was stroking his hair and letting out a small laugh now and then. Ash didn't care about the laugh, as long as Harry kept with the stroking.

"Having fun?" Harry murmured.

"Ayup," Ash grinned and nuzzled the leg under his cheek. "Magic fingers."

Harry laughed and leaned back against the wall, feeling at peace with the world.

The pair were currently sitting outside of a building called "Harvelle's Roadhouse", the owner of which was an old family friend of Ash. Ellen Harvelle was a gruff woman, raising her teen daughter and running a bar for hunters by herself. Harry admired her for how she was keeping herself going after her husband's death, even if he did sometimes unnerve her.

-MIT-

"Hey, Ellen!" Ash called out a greeting as he entered the bar, grinning widely and nodding to a couple of Hunters he recognised.

"Ash, where the Hell have you been?" Ellen glared a little at him, even as she accepted the hug and a kiss to the cheek.

"Here and there," Ash shrugged. "Took a detour through Nevada."

Ellen gave him a flat stare.

"Nevada. Ash, you do not go through Nevada when going from Massachusetts to Nebraska."

"You do when Harry's navigating." At the semi-introduction, Harry stepped out from behind Ash with a sheepish grin.

"In all fairness," he glanced up at Ellen with wide, innocent eyes, "I've never had to navigate America before. I'm used to a country you can spit across." To his surprise, the combination of eyes and accent seemed to melt the stern facade from McGonnagal-esque to Molly Weasley faced with an ill child.

"That's okay Sugar," the older woman smiled at him. "It'll take a while before you get used to our huge country."

Harry smiled back as Ash went to put their bags in the room Ellen always let him have. He liked this woman already.

"So, you're Ellen? The Ellen Harvelle?" He asked, grinning a little. The older woman narrowed her eyes slightly, suddenly uncomfortable.

-MIT-

Harry had discovered that asking people like that made them wonder what he knew, and more likely to give things away. So he'd taken to doing it as often as he could, seeing what sort of reaction he would get out of the Hunters that frequented the bar. He hadn't been shot or stabbed yet, which qualified in his mind as a huge success.

Despite how much he liked Ellen and Jo, however, Harry was still more than a little uncomfortable inside the bar with all the Hunters. These were people whose first instinct would be to kill him, and he was at a distinct disadvantage. While Ash had been teaching him to fight, he wasn't good enough to take on a fully trained Hunter.

Hence why he and Ash were currently sitting outside. There was something about the expanse of nothing around the bar that was soothing to the Englishman. It was completely foreign, yet it made him feel comfortable. He supposed that it had something to do with being able to see anyone coming before they were in range to attack.

Sometimes his battle-instincts annoyed him, but most of the time Harry just accepted that this was how he was. And as long as Ash accepted it too, things were fine.

-MIT-

"So, do you think it's possible?" Harry asked as he finished explaining.

Ash tilted his head to one side, staring at the screen of the notebook. They were seated inside the bar this time, going over their plans for the next year of college. Harry was excited about starting a long-term project which he'd be disguising as something else, but in essence he was working on a cure for lycanthropy.

"I think... it might..." Ash nodded slowly. "Assuming you can get people to test it on, of course."

"Oh, I'm sure I can find people," Harry smiled fondly, thinking of Remus. It was mostly for his sake that Harry was doing it. Otherwise, he might have been more tempted to look into a way for men to bear children. But that would have to wait.

"There'd be plenty of Hunters who'd want to keep up with this," Ash thought out loud. "After all, most werewolves aren't bad people. They just..."

"Turn into vicious killing machines once a month?" Harry smiled. "Unless they're on Wolfsbane, of course. Which reminds me, we need to find an American werewolf so I can take some blood and try to figure out why the virus works so differently here. I mean, pretty much every creature is different on this side of the world to what I'm used to back in Europe."

"What's that?" A Hunter Ash vaguely recognised spoke up as he took a seat near them. "You wanna study werewolves?"

"Well, yeah," Harry shrugged, shifting closer to Ash as he turned to look at the newcomer. "I'm working on a cure for lycanthropy. Haven't gotten very far yet, but I've only just started on the theory. I need to get hold of some biologicals to study properly."

The Hunter blinked a little.

"I'm pretty sure I understood the words," he said slowly, "but the meaning isn't clicking."

Ash grinned as he draped an arm around his shorter lover.

"He's workin' on a way to turn werewolves back into people. Only started this mornin', so it's a fair way off, and we need to look at some bits of 'em before we can really do much."

"Ah," the Hunter nodded. "That I understood. Name's Jordan," he reached out a hand to shake, which Harry and Ash took in turn. "Been a Hunter for about five years. Don't often come across werewolves, but if I do, I'll call here. Sound good?"

"Thanks," Harry beamed at him. "There's a potion that works on European werewolves to make them docile during the full moon, but as far as I can tell it doesn't work on Americans. If I can just get a hold of a werewolf to study, maybe I can adapt the potion to work here."

"He always this chatty?" Jordan grinned at Ash, who smirked back.

"Oh, there's ways to shut him up."

"Don't you dare," Harry said flatly without looking at him. "It's bad enough what you try to get away with in front of my friends, I'm not letting you try anything in front of strangers."

"Hmph," Ash pretended to glare at Harry, who continued to not look at him.

Jordan chuckled and turned back to his own newspaper, scanning for the next Hunt. It was amazing, the people one met at the Roadhouse.

-MIT-

"I don't believe this..." Harry groaned as he covered his face with his hands. "How could you be so stupid?"

"Wasn't my fault," Ash muttered grumpily. "He started it."

"Only because you kept insulting his mother."

"How was I to know he'd take it so badly?"

Harry sighed. They'd been doing so well for the last six months - and then Ash had gotten on the bad side of Sullivan Gale, an American-Italian who wanted to be a performer. Sully was normally an easy-going guy, always with a story to tell, a consummate actor. The problem was that he was very close to his family, so when Ash insinuated that he'd slept with Sully's mother, things went downhill fast.

"You insulted his mother," Harry reiterated. "People never take that well. And then you proceeded to beat the crap out of him."

Ash had the grace to look a little uncomfortable at that. He hadn't left any permanent marks on Sully, but the guy had been only half-conscious for the next hour.

"I don't even know why you did it!" Harry continued to berate Ash. "I know that you get worked up at times, but usually sex is enough to calm you down again! Why was it necessary to get into a fight?"

"Had to make sure I could still do it, didn't I?" Even to his ears, that excuse sounded weak. "Look, sometimes I just gotta fight something. And this time Sully happened to be in the wrong place and left an opening that I couldn't help going for."

"Right," Harry sighed. He finally allowed Ash to pull him into a hug, even though he was still very frustrated with his boyfriend. "You realise that if you get into one more fight you're going to be expelled, right?"

"I know," Ash nodded. "It'll be okay. I promise."

-MIT-

"What was it you said about it being okay?"

Ash winced at Harry's angry tone. He was packing his things, having been told that morning that he was being kicked out of MIT.

"You promised me that you'd stop fighting people! Or at least take up a combat sport to do it safely."

It didn't seem like the Brit was going to stop the berating him any time soon, but Ash figured that he deserved it. He'd only managed four months before getting into another fight, only this time it had been with one of the teaching assistants. Harry didn't know what the fight was over, and he was fairly sure that he didn't want to know either.

After a while, Harry trailed off into silence and sat on the now-empty desk. He still had a bit over two years left in his degree - more if he wanted to go on for more qualifications - and he didn't want to waste everything he'd done so far. If Ash asked him to, though, he'd be sorely tempted to leave with him.

"Where are you going to go?" Harry finally asked softly.

Ash shrugged, then offered a small grin.

"Figure I'll crash at the Roadhouse for a while, get my bearings. Then maybe apply somewhere else. Or not, might just look for a job. Dunno really."

"Here," Harry scribbled something out on a piece of paper. "It's one of my Muggle bank accounts. I'll make sure there's always money in it, use it if you have to."

"Harry..."

"Don't be stupid and prideful," Harry cut him off before he could protest. "I know that you don't have much in the way of savings. I have enough to last me the rest of the century without having a job to top the accounts up, you dipping into it now and then isn't going to make a difference. I don't want you starving or going without shelter."

"Okay," Ash nodded, though he was fairly sure it wouldn't get that desperate. He was a computer geek after all, he could scrape a living somehow. Harry did have a habit of being over dramatic about some things, but Ash knew the best way to distract him. "I don't have to be off campus until morning. Gonna stay and keep me company?"

"Of course," Harry smiled and moved in for a kiss. It was slow and gentle, as their hands ran over each other, committing details to memory. Neither were really sure if they could keep up a relationship without seeing each other frequently. It was going to be difficult for them - but they'd been together for over a year and a half now, so Harry at least wasn't willing to give up yet.

-MIT-

Harry lay back on his bed, musing. He was currently thinking about the word 'muse', and wondering how and when it had gone from a noun to a verb.

In other words, he was bored.

Without Ash around to distract him, he was already far ahead in all of his classes, and he'd returned to his unsocial habits. He sometimes went down to the local pub to be around people, but it usually just made him feel worse. And after the first time he got drunk and started seeing the other patrons as Death Eaters, he made sure not to drink heavily. He really didn't want to get a reputation for waving a stick and shouting in Latin when drunk - that could lead to all sorts of problems.

So instead, he lay on his bed and wondered what Ash as doing, and if the Redneck missed him too.

MIT

Somewhere in Nebraska, Ash was lying face-down on a pool table. He'd gotten roaring drunk last night, and gotten into a fist-fight with a couple of Hunters. He still wasn't sure what it was over, or who had won. All he was sure of was that he wished Kreacher could appear with some of his magical hangover cure.

After a while, a scratching sound invaded his head. Soon it was revealed as someone piking the lock to the Roadhouse. Ash mentally groaned and closed his eyes again. Whoever it was could get stuffed.

Of course, they'd probably get shot by Ellen or Jo, but at least that would be entertaining.

MIT

MasterOfDeath: Wait, two hunters tried to break into the Roadhouse?  
Redneck: yup  
MasterOfDeath: What were they on?  
MasterOfDeath: And where can I get some?  
Redneck: Dunno. apparently they'd never heard of Ellen before  
Redneck: or the hunter grapevine  
MasterOfDeath: Wow. How are they still alive?  
Redneck: pure dumb luck, I think  
MasterOfDeath: Heh. Sounds familiar.  
Redneck: yeah. I like them too  
MasterOfDeath: You would. So you're helping them out?  
Redneck: beats getting drunk every night missing you  
MasterOfDeath: Awww...  
Redneck: shut up. I'm allowed to miss my hot ASSistant  
MasterOfDeath: Only you could take a sentimental statement like that and make it dirty.  
Redneck: its a skill  
MasterOfDeath: It sure is.  
Redneck: well, Ellens hollerin for me. Ill talk to you tomorrow  
MasterOfDeath: Your typing has developed an accent again. ;P  
MasterOfDeath: Of course. Love you, Ash.  
Redneck: love you too, Harry

Harry turned off his computer, feeling a little better. He'd been having little to no success with the Lycanthropy cure, so the distraction from Ash had been very welcome.

He sighed as he gathered his things to head toward the library again - there were some useful books on infectious disease that he wanted to look at again.

Part way there, Harry's phone buzzed in his pocket. Fishing it out, he saw that he had a new text message.

'Found new specimen outskirts Boston. Interested? Jordan.'

A grin fought its way onto Harry's face as he quickly sent an affirmative reply. The day was definitely looking up.

MIT

"Hmm, that's odd," Harry muttered to himself as he looked at his analysis of the Lycanthropy disease's genes. The werewolf Jordan had found had been very willing to work with him to find a cure, and was happy to give Harry all the samples he wanted. "The two strains of Lycanthropy are almost identical. There's only the tiniest difference by the end result is so..."

He scribbled away at his notebook for a while, before flicking through his books again. Somehow, he'd gotten into the habit of talking to himself as he worked, in an effort to try and keep track of his thoughts.

"Actually, simplified like this, it almost looks like a type of cancer. And I think I can see why the Wolfsbane doesn't work properly..."

MIT

It was a few months later, and Harry was nervously chewing on a sandwich. He wasn't hungry, but Kreacher had glared him into submission - apparently he hadn't been eating enough to satisfy the elf.

Tonight was the night he'd see if the modifications he'd made to the Wolfsbane potion were enough to keep an American Werewolf from changing. Jordan had insisted that Harry stay at MIT during the trial, in case it didn't work. He'd sad that they couldn't risk Harry getting injured, infected, or worse, killed. Harry had thought it best not to point out that he was technically immortal.

As night fell, Harry started pacing in his room. He hated having to stand around doing nothing, worrying about whether or not something was going to work. But this time he'd had no choice in the matter.

Suddenly the phone rang, and Harry leaped to his desk where he had left it.

"Jordan? Did it work?" He blurted out as soon as he'd hit 'answer'.

"Well, sorta..." Jordan sounded amused, though whether at Harry's nerves or something happening his end was hard to tell. "The boy's changed, but he's not vicious. Seems he's kept his own mind in the monster's body."

"So..." Harry's mind raced as he considered. "So it's doing the same as the original potion..." He nodded forcefully. "Well, it's a start."

"Harry, it's more than a start," Jordan sounded incredulous. "Already it means that we don't have to kill werewolves. We just need to find them and make sure that they have access to the medication."

"It's not enough," Harry said, already thinking of ways to further improve it. "It won't be enough until there's a permanent cure."

MIT

"So how do you think you'll manage that?"

"Not sure, Moony," Harry grinned at his inspiration. "But I'm gonna find a way."

"I know you will, Cub."

-MIT-

"I GRADUATED!" Harry yelled as he jumped on Ash.

"That you did. Well done, love," Ash held tight to his boyfriend, smiling over the top of his head at Remus. The werewolf was leaning against Harry's desk, having been helping him pack up his things before Ash showed up.

The last couple of years had been difficult for them, what with being in two separate states, but somehow they'd made it work. It was probably something to do with neither man being the sort to stray from a relationship, and the fact that they kept in close contact.

"So, what now?" Remus asked as he smiled fondly at his cub.

"Think I'll start by moving in at the Roadhouse, and keep working on the lycanthropy fix," Harry said thoughtfully. After his initial success, he'd kept hitting road blocks in his research. Possibly because he was also pursuing his degree, which was why he wanted to focus on the cure now.

"I'm sure Ellen won't mind," Ash confirmed for him. "She adores you."

"Most older women do," Remus commented. "They take one look at those big green eyes and mop of hair, and go all gooey."

"It's a gift," Harry shrugged.

"Harry…" Remus suddenly remembered something. "What's going to happen to Kreacher? You can't think that taking him to the Roadhouse is a good idea."

"He's mostly going to stay here at the flat and turn it into a factory for the Wolfsbane. He's been able to make it into a pill form, so it'll be easier to take, and he can make enough by himself to last a while. When not doing that, he's decided to Apparate to the Roadhouse and help Ellen in the kitchen there."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Remus looked concerned. "I mean, with that many Hunters passing through…"

"I know," Harry sighed. "I've tried to convince him otherwise, but he's determined that he should keep serving me. I even offered to let him go to someone else, but he started crying at that. I don't know what to do with him."

"Master Harry is being silly," Kreacher declared, stepping out from under Harry's bed. The others turned and stared at him for a minute, though he ignored it. "Master Harry is to be needing someone to be looking after him."

"Suppose I don't count then?" Ash asked with a grin. Kreacher gave a derisive snort in answer.

"Redneck is barely looking after himself. Redneck needs Kreacher to be taking care of him also."

Remus let out a chuckle at the surprised look on Ash's face. Apparently, Kreacher was rather fond of Ash as well, though the elf had a rather odd way of showing it. Which was surprising, given Ash was technically a Muggle. Then again, Ash was good for Harry, and Kreacher always had his master's wellbeing first in his mind.

"So, you all packed?" Ash asked, ready to be off again.

"Master Harry is going now," Kreacher cut his master off firmly. "Kreacher is bringing his things later. Shoo!" And he ushered all three men out of the flat, smiling a little to himself, then slammed the door behind them and turned back to the room. "Right, Kreacher must be deciding what Master Harry and the Redneck will be needing in the nasty desert."

-MIT-

"Hmmm, that was nice," Harry grinned up at his boyfriend from their nest of blankets on the floor. "It's been far too long since we had some 'us' time."

"Damn straight," Ash lowered his head and nuzzled Harry's neck. "I hated not having you whenever I wanted."

"D'you think Ellen's worried about us? We've hardly been out of this room for the last four days."

"Nah, she's used to me locking myself away. She's probably just glad that we're far enough from the bar that mostly they can't hear us."

"Yeah, I think we gave them enough of a show on the way in," Harry blushed as he remembered their entrance. Ash had thrown him over his shoulder and carried him into the Roadhouse like that, allowing him a brief 'hello' to Ellen and Jo as they passed, then thrown him down in their room and proceeded to shag him into the floor.

Ash grinned at the memory as well, then yawned. Harry mirrored him soon after, and Ash wrapped himself around his shorter boyfriend as they both drifted off to sleep.

-MIT-

"It's… it's hard to describe," Harry said thoughtfully, drawing patterns in the spilled liquid at the bar. He was trying to tell Ash about the War, and the curses he'd been under. "The Cruciatus is pure pain, and no matter how hard you try, you can't block it out or work through it. It just keeps building until either you pass out, or the caster ends the spell."

"Who the hell would come up with something like that?" Ash muttered, looking faintly ill. "Are you sure that it didn't come from a demon?"

"Positive," Harry smiled sadly. "Humans are capable of doing some pretty messed up stuff without any demonic influence."

"I guess," Ash downed the rest of his beer in one hit. Part of what made him so upset was that Harry sounded like he was speaking from experience, and the thought of him going through that made Ash want to punch someone.

"Anyway," Harry continued, "it's one of the three Unforgivables – though people tend to cast them a lot more than you'd think. Apparently even Azkaban, the Wizarding jail, isn't enough of a threat to warrant choosing a different curse. And there's plenty of other curses that mimic what the Unforgivables do, it's just that those are the only three that don't have shields against them. That's why, according to the letter of the law, it's such a big deal to cast them." He shrugged. "Unfortunately, for most people, once they start on the path to becoming Dark Wizards, they tend to shed all inhibitions and will cast any spell that would give them an edge."

"Which means the so-called Unforgivables get used pretty often?" Jo joined in their conversation, and Harry nodded.

"And sometimes, in the middle of a battle, against an enemy with shields against everything, there's nothing else that you can use to stop them. It's not pretty, but that's the reality of war – morals tend to get put aside, and picked up again when the fighting's done. If you do something during the fighting that would normally contradict laws or morals… well, if you're on the winning side, it doesn't matter. If you're on the losing side, it's one more thing to get tried for." There were shadows in Harry's eyes at that, and Ash didn't like it one bit.

So he leaned forward and licked Harry's neck, making him jump.

"Okay, enough with the moping," he drawled. "You need to keep working on that fix of yours. You thought you were close last night, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded slowly. "If I can just work out how to get the Wolfsbane and silver flakes to work together without killing the werewolf…"

"So get to it," Ash gave him a small shove. "I'll keep working on that tracking program – the Winchesters'll be wanting it soon, I'm betting."

"They want it yesterday," Jo smiled. "Can't really blame them, though."

"Nah," Ash agreed. "I'd want the yellow-eyed bastard gone too."

-MIT-

The week before the next full moon, Harry and Ash were busy getting the Wolfsbane pills sent out to the various customers. There weren't many in America – thankfully being turned was a rare occurrence here – but there were several people in Britain who preferred the new pill form over the original potion.

Kreacher was happily cooking away in the kitchen, allowing Ellen to serve and the boys to continue with their business. Jo had decided that living at the Roadhouse was too constricting, that she wanted to hunt, and so had struck out on her own after arguing with her mother. Again, Harry had given her the details to a bank account to ensure that she would be okay. He couldn't help but worry about her – since he hadn't had time to work on his ideas for male pregnancy, he tended to give Jo any attention he would have given to his own children.

But in general, things were going well. Jo had survived her first Hunt by herself… well, technically the Winchesters had been with her, so it wasn't really by herself, but she'd survived. And now she was tending a bar somewhere on the East Coast, and keeping in contact with her family. Phone calls weren't as often as Ellen would have liked, but there was instant messaging most afternoons.

Now if only Harry could get rid of the bad feeling he had, a feeling that something was going to go very wrong very soon.

-MIT-

"Damn, we're out of pretzels," Ellen muttered as she looked into the cupboard. Harry glanced up from his seat in the back room, where he'd been working on the accounts.

"Really? I thought that all bars had a never-ending supply of them."

"Don't give me that," Ellen growled, obviously put out. "If someone had restocked the bar like they were supposed to…"

"Hey, I don't work there. I just do the numbers," Harry responded evenly. He knew that Ellen was just stressed, but it didn't mean he was going to let her snap at him.

"I know," Ellen shook her head. "I know. Look, can you run down to the store and get us some more? Take some money from the till."

"I got it," Harry grinned as he stood. He didn't often get to drive places, so he relished the opportunity. Ellen tossed him her keys and he headed out, giving Ash a quick kiss on the cheek and making sure the Hallows were secured about him as he left. With the way he'd been feeling lately, he'd be a fool not to take them with him everywhere.

Back at one of the tables, Ash was still working on refining some statistics. He knew he was close to cracking where the demon would show up next, if only he worked at it a little longer.

A stranger sat down across from him, and Ash barely glanced up. His laptop was hoarding all of his attention, and he was happy to give it to her. The stranger stayed silent for a while, though Ash wasn't sure if he'd have noticed anyone talking to him, before he leaned forward and closed the lid of the notebook.

Ash looked up, angry and about to tear into the guy, when suddenly the words died in his throat.

The stranger had yellow eyes.

"Hello, Ash," the demon grinned at him as Ash stood hurriedly, then rose himself and started walking around the table.

Ash let out a whimper as he backed into a post. He'd known that his association with Hunters could get him killed, but he'd always had too much fun with Harry, Jo and Ellen to consider leaving the life behind. Now a part of him was wishing that instead of coming here, he and Harry had gone back to his love's home country. Only a small part, though, because he knew that the Winchesters would have had a hard time stopping the coming events without the two geniuses.

Azazel laughed as the annoying human backed away.

"Come now, is that any way to treat someone you've been searching for?"

The Hunters in the bar finally seemed to realise that something was wrong, and one of them stepped between Ash and Azazel. The demon shook his head, a slow smile spreading across his face as more hunters stood and laid hands on various weapons.

"I'm afraid that won't do you much good," Azazel smirked before flinging out a hand. All of the hunters were flung onto walls, unable to break free from the psychic restraints. "I wonder where the lovely barmaid is?" Azazel paused and looked around before letting out a whistle, not unlike a master summoning a dog.

Two demon-possessed humans came in, dragging Ellen between them. She looked a little stunned, and had a trickle of blood running down from her temple.

"Excellent," Azazel clapped his hands and turned back to Ash. "Now for the entertainment. You've been poking your nose where it doesn't belong, and now you're going to suffer the consequences."

Ash suddenly let out a scream of pain, back arching and eyes closing. His hands clawed at nothing as he tried to control his reactions. As quickly as it had started it stopped, and he fell to his knees, panting.

"You know," Azazel murmured as he started to circle his new toy, "the wizards have some wonderful ideas for torture. That one's called the Cruciatus Curse. Tell me, what does it feel like?"

Ash shook his head, whimpering a little. He kept thinking of Harry, and the one time he'd described this curse to him. His green-eyed love had been right, however - words couldn't come close to the damage the curse did.

"Don't feel like sharing?" Azazel pretended to pout. "Ah well. Maybe another round will loosen your tongue."

This time it was kept up for longer, and Ash fell to the ground, clawing at the floorboards as he screamed. Just when he thought he couldn't take it any more, it let up, and he let out a sob.

"So," Azazel crouched near his head and talked as though they were sitting down over a cup of tea. "Feel like telling me what it was you were going to share with the Winchester boys?"

Brown eyes raised to meet yellow ones, before slowly blinking closed.

"Go to Hell," Ash whispered, and pain once again racked his body. After several minutes where the pain just kept building, he stopped and fell limp, passing out from the pain. Azazel glared down at the body at his feet. Honestly, geeks had no stamina for being tortured these days. Knowing that it was time to get going, he knelt and snapped Ash's neck, chuckling when he felt the life slip away from him.

"ASH!"

Azazel turned at the scream of anguish, to see a short human with wide green eyes staring at the pesky mortal's corpse. A grin spread across the demon's face. Apparently the annoying one had a lover. Azazel laughed mockingly, and the other demons joined in.

Harry fell to his knees, bowing his head. He was too late... Ash was dead. A damned demon had killed the best thing to happen to him.

Ellen fought to get out of the grasp holding her, then stilled as Harry's coat seemed to glow. The ring hanging around his neck did as well, and the stick which somehow appeared in his hand. Then he raised his head, and his eyes had gone completely green.

The demons stopped laughing.

"No..." Azazel stepped back, shocked.

Harry fixed the demon with a gaze filled with rage, then reached out a hand, fingers spread, palm down. When he flipped his hand over, everyone felt the power in the room as they were all frozen in place. The demons all tried to break free, but something was keeping them there, trapped in their vessels, with their vessels unable to move.

Azazel himself looked terrified, which gave Ellen pause for thought. Harry, sweet little Harry, made Yellow-Eyes himself scared.

Harry clicked his fingers, and a new figure appeared in the room. A seven feet tall figure shrouded in black robes and cloak, and holding a scythe. The figure looked around, then back at Harry, tilting his head to one side in question.

"Kill all the demons," Harry whispered, but it was loud enough to be heard by everyone.

YOU KNOW THE PRICE FOR A TASK SUCH AS THIS, the new arrival replied in a voice that sounded like two tombstones slamming together. Everyone in the room knew exactly who it was.

Death himself was taking orders from Harry.

"I know. I will pay it."

VERY WELL. The figure turned again, revealing himself to the crowd as the traditional skeleton, with green flames as eyes. It reached out a hand toward Azazel, before clenching it and pulling back towards himself.

All of the vessels threw their heads back and screamed. Black smoke poured from their mouths, trying to escape. But Death made a slicing motion with his scythe, and green flames sprang up, consuming the demons.

All of the Hunters watched in amazement as every demon in the room was destroyed by the green fire. Ellen, however, watched as Harry stood and walked over to Ash, before laying down next to him and resting his head over his lover's heart.

Once the demons were gone, Death turned to where Harry had closed his eyes, and bowed once. He then disappeared.

Ellen suddenly found that she could move again, and before any of the hunters could react, she ran to kneel by Ash and Harry. She gently pressed her fingers to their throats, only to choke back a sob.

They were both gone.

"What the Hell was that?" One of the hunters finally choked out.

"I don't know," Ellen shook her head. "I... I don't know." Then she gasped and pulled her hands away, one of the Hunters dragging her back a bit.

The glow from Harry's things had spread and was now covering both bodies.

Without warning, the two men burst into green flames, the fire destroying their remains completely. It didn't spread to anything else, and once the remains were gone the fire disappeared as well, leaving nothing but a faint scorch-mark on the ground and a circle of stunned Hunters.

-MIT-

"Why did you do that, Harry? Wasn't there another way out?" Ash whispered as he and Harry lay curled together in Death's domain.

Harry was silent for a few minutes, tracing patterns along Ash's skin, before his hand was caught and stilled. He sighed and shook his head.

"Even if I'd stayed alive… I couldn't bring you back. Unless I sold my soul to a demon, of course, and that wasn't going to happen."

"Good," Ash smiled sadly.

"I guess I'm kinda selfish, but I couldn't take any more people I care about leaving me behind," Harry clung to Ash as though still scared his lover would disappear. "I just couldn't face starting over by myself again. The best I could do was to take the demon down with me."

"And the Hallows? You once said that you wouldn't leave them behind to be found by someone who would exploit them."

"I figured out how to get around that," Harry shrugged. "If the Master Over Death chose to die, then the Hallows would go back to Death. They're now in his hands, to go to someone he sees fit."

"Okay then," Ash nodded and wound his arms tighter around Harry. "I guess that makes sense. But now we're stuck here for eternity?"

"I don't think so," Harry said thoughtfully. "There might be a way to get back… or we might find a way to move on, to where people usually go when they die. But for now… can we enjoy some time together without having to worry about evil wizards or demons trying to kill us?"

"Of course we can, love," Ash smiled and kissed him tenderly. "I'm sure this will be very enjoyable."

-MIT-

The Roadhouse was decked all in black. Dean and a rather beaten-up Sam had arrived, confused as to how the spells keeping Sam in Cold Oak had all failed and allowed the chosen children to leave. They'd both been shaken to find that Ash was gone, and found it hard to believe that the short Englishman had destroyed the demon for them.

Jo had come back as well, and she and Ellen held each other for a long time. Ash had been part of their lives for such a long time, it was hard to remember a time when he wasn't there. Harry had slid in as well, making a spot for himself and cheerfully becoming part of their lives. Jo promised that she'd stick close to home for a while, and Ellen was grateful for it. Both women needed the other around to help deal with their loss.

The day before the funeral, a stranger arrived at the bar – a tall man with rapidly greying sandy hair and golden eyes that held a deep sadness. As soon as he passed the threshold, Kreacher ran to him and clutched his leg, weeping. Remus knelt and hugged the elf back – the loss of his cub had hit him hard.

The four people behind him entered the bar slowly, all showing obvious signs of grief. A young woman with bushy brown hair leaned heavily on a taller red-haired man. Her swollen stomach made it difficult to stay standing, and she lowered herself into a seat near the door. An older couple, red hair shot through with grey, went up to Ellen and introduced themselves. Mrs Weasley wrapped the other woman in a hug before she could escape, and whispered a thanks for giving Harry a home where he felt welcome.

After the funeral, all ten – including Kreacher – sat in the closed Roadhouse reminiscing about their boys. It was a difficult time for all of them, but they were determined to make it through. After all, they were certain that wherever they were, Ash and Harry were together.

And probably having sex.


End file.
